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AI-driven hyperscale data centers are becoming a new class of grid load. A single site can draw hundreds of megawatts, its consumption can change quickly and without warning, and the whole load sits behind power electronics. Recent events, in which several data centers disconnected at the same time during grid disturbances, showed what this means for grid stability.

At the IEEE IAS Annual Meeting 2027 (Rome, June 27 – July 1, 2027) we are organizing a Special Session on how data centers and the power grid interact: “Data Centers as Grid-Critical Loads: Stability, Ride-Through, and Power Electronics Interfaces”.

Key topics

  • Grid-code requirements and ride-through for large loads
  • Fault ride-through (LVRT/HVRT) of UPS, active front-end and PFC stages
  • Voltage and small-signal stability with converter-interfaced loads
  • Grid-forming and grid-supporting data center interfaces
  • Dynamic AI workloads and their grid impact
  • Modeling, validation and compliance testing (EMT, HIL, PHIL)

Call for contributions

We invite researchers, academics and industry experts to contribute to the session as authors or reviewers. Experimental, HIL and EMT contributions are particularly encouraged.

Key deadlines

  • Digest submission: December 7, 2026
  • Full paper submission: April 15, 2027

Publication opportunity: accepted and presented papers will be eligible for an invitation to submit an extended version to the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.

👉 Express your interest
🌐 Conference portal

The session is organized by Dr. Federico Cecati (University of Trento), Dr. Mahdieh (Maddie) Sadabadi (The University of Manchester) and Dr. Giulia Tresca (University of Pavia).