The Convergence of Power and AI Infrastructure, How Combined Energy Hubs With Generation, Storage and AI Data Centres Reduce Risk and Improve Returns for All Participants

Recording of Monday, June 22, 2026 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026 | Language: English | Duration: 13:24 .

Comprehensive Overview of Data Center Infrastructure and AI Integration

Datacenters can be categorized into cloud services, AI inference, and AI development, with cloud datacenters like AWS and Azure located in major metro areas and operating between 10 to 50 megawatts at a reliability rate of 99.999%. AI infrastructure deployment is expected to range from 100 to 300 megawatts, focusing on localized deployment rather than urban centers. The planning for AI inference centers requires advanced preparations within two years and anticipates an addition of 10 to 20 gigawatts to Europe's energy grid, highlighting the rapid growth of power demand. Innovations in power management include a design capacity of 2 megawatts per rack, transitioning to transformer rectifier units for more efficient power output, and utilizing onsite renewable energy sources. The push for sustainability includes establishing solar and medium voltage DC infrastructures in data centres, while strategic negotiation around energy services is essential to maintain profitability and mitigate risks. Data center revenues can be improved through integrating existing revenue streams and careful selection of counterparties, especially in the context of regulatory complexities.

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Speaker

Liam Newcombe
SVP Product & Energy Strategy
Greenscale Data Centres
United Kingdom

Talk of session: Powering AI: Data Centers Need Intelligent Energy Solutions: Why Not BESS?

Over the past few years, there has been consistent growth in the number of data centers. Immense further growth is expected in the coming years, mostly driven by artificial intelligence. The resulting increase in the demand for energy and grid connection capacity (approx. 80%), highly dynamic load profiles and sustainable backup solutions pose major challenges for operators and project developers. This session will highlight how battery storage is opening up new avenues toward a solution to this problem.

Further Talks of this session: