Texas Tech University’s GLEAMM will use the funding to research AI data center load management.

Texas Tech University’s Global Laboratory for Energy Asset Management & Manufacturing (GLEAMM) has received $1.25 million in funding from Google’s philanthropy Google.org to advance research on artificial intelligence (AI) data center load management and electric grid flexibility. Google’s support is part of a $40 billion investment in Texas announced last week by Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Governor Greg Abbott.

The project addresses a critical challenge: AI workloads consume 10-100 megawatts per facility, creating significant stress on electric grids during peak demand periods. The research will explore how computational loads can be scheduled, modulated or geographically shifted to support grid flexibility while integrating renewable energy and energy storage.

Texas Tech is uniquely positioned to address these emerging challenges, combining proximity to several very large data center projects on the South Plains with access to diverse power sources, including substantial wind and solar generation, as well as world-class expertise and infrastructure at GLEAMM. 

“Powering the next era of AI requires both world-class infrastructure and a resilient electric grid,” said Robert Barron-Pryce, Google.org Giving Manager at Google. “As part of our broader investment in Texas, we’re proud to support the work Texas Tech is doing to directly address the complex challenge of managing large data center loads. By helping accelerate their research on smart load scheduling and optimization, together we’re ensuring that Texas maintains reliable, affordable power while continuing to lead in technology innovation.”

The multidisciplinary research team includes Argenis Bilbao, senior director of GLEAMM; Manohar Chahama, assistant professor in the College of Arts & Sciences’ Department of Renewable Energy; and Stephen Bayne, vice president for national security & executive director, Critical Infrastructure Security Institute. Together, they bring expertise in AI, machine learning, renewable energy, energy storage integration, power systems and energy management.

Leveraging tools at GLEAMM designed explicitly for adoption at scale by resource facilities and industry partners, as well as Texas Tech’s real-world microgrid and real-time simulator, the team will model electrical systems with large data center loads and optimize scheduling based on renewable generation periods.

“I’m sincerely thankful to Google for their generous support,” Bilbao said. “I’m excited to use these funds to push forward our research on improving datacenter energy consumption, energy management and overall energy awareness, and to develop solutions that can be applied in commercial datacenter environments.”

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