Flexible Load

A flexible load is data center demand that can be reduced, delayed or shifted in time on request from the grid operator or utility. In exchange, the data center gets faster interconnection or lower tariffs. Flexibility comes from deferring batch workloads such as AI training, shifting jobs between sites, running backup generators or batteries on site, or capping server power. A widely cited 2025 Duke University study estimated that roughly 76 GW of new load could connect to the US grid if data centers curtailed for just 0.25% of the year. Utilities and regulators increasingly treat flexibility as a condition for connecting large campuses amid long interconnection queues. It differs from firm load, which must be served at all times, and works alongside demand response programs, curtailment rules and on-site storage.