The government plans to establish a dedicated 'Grid Code' for data centers by the end of the year. This initiative aims to set minimum technical standards required for data centers to receive stable power supply and to clarify the criteria for power grid access and operation.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced on August 27 that it held the first meeting of the 'Artificial Intelligence Data Center (AIDC) Research Group' in Seoul, chaired by Second Vice Minister Lee Ho-hyun, to discuss this plan.
AI data centers can experience rapid fluctuations in power usage, changing by megawatts in just milliseconds during AI training and inference processes that utilize graphics processing units (GPUs). In the case of hyperscale data centers, the required power capacity can reach gigawatts.
Such sudden spikes in power demand can impact the stability of the power grid's frequency and voltage. This concern has prompted power authorities in major countries to consider requiring separate system stabilization capabilities for large power-consuming facilities as AI data centers proliferate globally.
The Grid Code being developed by the government will outline the minimum technical requirements for AI data centers to connect to the power grid and receive stable electricity. The ministry plans to analyze the characteristics of the domestic power system and the power consumption patterns of data centers through the research group and establish the standards by the end of this year.
Options for utilizing energy storage systems (ESS) and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) owned by data centers for power system stability are also under consideration. AI data centers are equipped with supplementary facilities like ESS and UPS to protect sensitive equipment from power fluctuations and maintain consistent power quality. The government intends to explore connection strategies and regulations that can leverage these facilities for power system stabilization without compromising their primary functions.
The research group will further categorize the equipment composition and demand types of AI data centers and analyze their power usage efficiency (PUE). Based on this analysis, the group aims to develop connection strategies and related regulations tailored to the characteristics of data centers.
Second Vice Minister Lee Ho-hyun expressed hope that the research group would facilitate discussions on connection strategies and regulations suitable for the power system conditions, stating, "We plan to derive the Grid Code, which is essential for the stable operation of AI data centers, by the end of this year."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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