Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are teaming up with one of Amazon’s companies to find artificial intelligence tools that can help make the electric grid more reliable and secure. 

Grid experts at the Richland lab will develop and evaluate advanced AI systems in collaboration with Amazon Web Services and test different scenarios in PNNL’s Electricity Infrastructure Operating Center with a secure, operations-grade hybrid-cloud Amazon environment, according to a PNNL release. 

Helping utilities, government agencies and others manage an increasingly taxed power grid has become critical as demand for energy grows exponentially, especially from companies such as Amazon which are launching power-hungry data centers. 

“With rapidly increasing demands for electricity, grid control centers and the operations of the grid will need to evolve signficantly. By applying new technologies like AI in ways that are rigorous, practical and human-centered, we can advance the grid while maintaining reliable, secure and affordable power for the nation,” said Jim Ogle, PNNL’s director of electricity infrastructure, in a statement. 

The new partnership supports the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, an integrated effort to accelerate discovery and strengthen U.S. leadership in AI.  

While large language models, or LLMs, are often envisioned in reference to AI, PNNL researchers are looking at an advanced AI model called neuro-symbolic AI that combines the pattern recognition of machine learning and generative AI with topic-specific knowledge and reasoning. For the grid, that means understanding physics. 

And that’s where AWS comes in: its neuro-symbolic AI tools could help operators make decisions during fast-evolving disruptions, such as how to optimize power shutoffs during wildfires, how to keep power flowing during a hurricane or how to protect the grid from a cyber or physical attack. 

“AWS is proud to partner with PNNL on critical grid modernization initiatives that will strengthen America's energy infrastructure for the AI era,” said Jamie Baker, director of federal civilian health, science and policy at AWS, in a statement. “Through our collaboration with leading national labs like PNNL, we're leveraging advanced AI technology to help modernize the grid, ensure reliable power delivery and support the communities where we operate.”