US DOE Launches Agora Test Bed to Turn Data Centers into Active Grid Participants
May 21, 2026
US DOE Launches Agora Test Bed to Turn Data Centers into Active Grid Participants
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled a new test bed at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) in Applewood, Colorado, designed to transform data centers from passive energy consumers into active contributors to grid reliability. Named Agora, the large-load test bed is funded by the DOE’s Office of Electricity and supported by industry partners who helped shape its design. According to the DOE, it is the only dedicated large-load grid integration test bed across the entire U.S. National Laboratory Complex, underscoring its unique role in addressing a critical infrastructure challenge.
“We built a 20th-century grid — but today we serve a 21st-century, data-driven, AI-enabled economy,” said Katie Jereza, assistant secretary of the DOE’s Office of Electricity. “Through innovative test beds, we are not just experimenting, we are creating confidence in a powerful new capability — one that delivers affordable, reliable, and secure power that our homes, businesses, and overall economy need.” The test bed aims to help data centers adopt flexible designs and cost-saving operational practices that support the grid during periods when demand risks exceeding supply. Agora will convene utilities, data center developers, technology providers, and researchers from across the U.S. to develop best practices for improving grid flexibility. Industry participants include Schneider Electric, Compass Datacenters, and Verrus.
“Very few facilities in the country can study both the grid and interactions with large loads under real-world conditions and at this level of detail,” said Martha Symko-Davies, laboratory program manager for the Office of Electricity at NLR. “That integrated detail is essential as energy demand is growing exponentially and data centers need to establish themselves as good grid citizens — energy users that share responsibility for keeping the grid reliable.” The lab plans to continue partnering with more utilities and data centers to adapt Agora’s capabilities to evolving industry needs.
The initiative reflects a broader trend of data center operators seeking to deploy flexible energy management solutions. One notable example is Emerald AI, an Nvidia-backed firm that has developed an AI-powered platform called the Emerald Conductor. This platform acts as a mediator between the grid and data centers, orchestrating AI workloads in real time to dynamically adjust energy consumption. It helps maintain grid stability while ensuring acceptable AI compute performance. Emerald AI has completed three demonstration projects in Phoenix, Chicago, and the UK, and recently announced a new pilot with California’s Silicon Valley Power (SVP) in Santa Clara. As energy demand surges and AI workloads proliferate, initiatives like Agora and Emerald AI signal a shift toward a more integrated, responsive relationship between data centers and the electric grid.
Source: datacenterdynamics
