AI routing and PJM’s capacity plan

Emerald and Lumen explore power-aware routing

A new idea for moving AI requests

Emerald AI and Lumen announced a collaboration on October 29 to route AI inference requests among networked locations based on power availability, network conditions and cost. Inference is the work of using a trained model to answer a request; it differs from training the model. The companies say the goal is to steer requests toward places with available electricity.

Emerald’s Conductor software would provide power information; Lumen’s programmable fiber network would connect locations and help route traffic. The firms are exploring a pilot using Lumen’s edge and network infrastructure, but they name no site, customer, start date or operating test.

Source: Lumen Technologies announcement · Oct 29, 2026

The network becomes part of the power plan

A request can move only if a remote location has the required model, computing capacity and secure data access. The network must then return an answer quickly enough for the application. The companies say their design would account for latency, security, network conditions and cost; these are requirements, not published performance results.

Analogy: It resembles sending an order to another branch when one store has limited stock. That helps only if the second branch has what the customer needs and the extra trip is still fast. The comparison explains the routing idea; it is not a measured data-center result.

Possible flexibility, not a demonstrated grid service

If the pilot works as intended, shifting some flexible inference requests could reduce demand at one location during a local power constraint while another site handles the work. Neither company reports electricity reductions, cost savings or an effect on household rates. The release describes a planned test, not an operating service.

Evidence to look for

A useful pilot report would identify its sites, workloads, response times, security safeguards and before-and-after power readings. Those details would show whether network routing can ease a local constraint without making service slower or less reliable.

Read the full brief →

PJM files a revised capacity procurement plan

PJM resets the timetable for a capacity purchase

PJM Interconnection filed an amended Reliability Backstop Procurement proposal with federal regulators on October 29. The grid operator wants to begin a one-time procurement on Mar 1, 2027, to secure additional power capacity after recent auctions fell short of reliability targets. PJM describes the earlier shortfall as about 6,800 megawatts, a figure it says will be recalculated with updated load and resource information.

Federal regulators accepted much of PJM’s original proposal in September but suspended its implementation while reviewing cost allocation, credit requirements and what happens if a transmission owner exits. The amended filing revises those areas; it is still a proposal, not an approved procurement schedule.

Source: PJM Interconnection announcement · Oct 29, 2026

How the proposal assigns costs

PJM proposes allocating charges to load-serving entities, regulated companies that buy or manage electricity supply for customers. The allocation would track firm large-load growth between each zone’s actual 2026 summer peak and its forecast for the 2028–29 delivery year. Local electric distributors would report the growth, and each zone’s share would reflect its contribution.

This is a proposed wholesale cost-allocation method, not a direct data-center bill or a forecast of household rates. The announcement does not settle how any costs might flow through state-regulated retail bills.

What capacity procurement buys

Capacity is a commitment that a resource will be available when needed; it is not the same as electricity already generated or consumed. Analogy: it is closer to reserving a seat than measuring how many trips were taken. PJM says the procurement could secure resources for up to 15 years, with a maximum willingness to pay based on a weighted average of $555 per megawatt-day.

The proposed bid window would close March 28, with a final target and supply amount set for April 28 and results posted May 10. PJM says qualifying bilateral contracts between large loads and suppliers would reduce the procurement target to avoid buying the same capacity twice.

The decision and the real-world supply remain open

FERC must decide whether the revisions address its concerns. The final target, any winning capacity offers, construction and delivery dates, and the effect on retail bills remain unknown. A procurement plan is a step toward contracting resources, not proof that new generation is operating.

Read the full brief →