Voltus & Octopus: Expanding Flexibility for AI Data Centres

The US is facing a pronounced surge in electricity demand, driven by AI workloads, the expansion of data centres and rapid digital growth. 

Voltus, a virtual power plant operator and distributed energy resource platform and Octopus Energy, a global energy technology company, have announced a partnership to scale load flexibility across the US. 

The news follows Octopus’ initiative with Masdar, which will optimise renewable energy in the UK, freeing up grid capacity for energy-intensive operations.

The US partnership leverages Voltus' platform and customer base alongside Octopus Energy’s consumer engagement and optimisation technology to build flexible capacity portfolios for utilities, grid operators and data centres.

Flexibility-as-a-Service and BYOC in the US

Voltus and Octopus are together delivering Flexibility-as-a-Service and Bring Your Own Capacity (BYOC) solutions. 

Flexibility-as-a-Service allows organisations to access additional capacity on demand without constructing new generation, while BYOC lets data centres contribute their own energy assets, such as batteries or controllable load, to virtual power plants.

In 2026 Octopus will supply Voltus with aggregated residential devices – including smart thermostats, EVs and home batteries – across PJM, MISO, New York and California. 

Voltus adds this residential capacity to its virtual power plant portfolios, expanding the scale and diversity of flexible resources available to the electricity grid. 

In parallel, Voltus offers its customers the opportunity to participate in Octopus’s virtual power plants with utility clients, enabling rapid response to spikes in AI-driven demand.

Dana Guernsey, CEO of Voltus, says: “Octopus understands that load flexibility is the fastest to deploy form of capacity.

“By combining our platforms and customer relationships, we can deploy VPPs at the accelerated scale and speed that is needed to meet today’s load growth needs.”

Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus US, adds: “The clean energy transition is creating an urgent, multi-billion dollar opportunity for demand side flexibility that Octopus Energy and Voltus can address with Flexibility-as-a-Service. 

“By combining the unique, complementary strengths of Octopus Energy and Voltus, we can move faster to deliver flexibility at the scale the grid needs, while putting money back in consumers’ pockets.”

Reducing grid constraints in the UK

In the UK, Octopus is working with Masdar to optimise renewable energy connections and free up capacity for energy-hungry data centres. 

The UK grid faces delays in connecting renewable projects, slowing growth for AI workloads.

Octopus identifies pockets of available capacity and designs local energy systems combining on-site solar, batteries and flexible grid connections to deliver power faster.

Octopus’s Kraken-powered technology balances on-site generation, storage and grid supply to ensure uptime for AI workloads while shifting consumption to cheaper periods.

Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, says: “This is about delivering projects that make energy cheaper, cleaner and unlock real opportunities for businesses and industry.”

Implications for data centres

The Voltus–Octopus partnership demonstrates the value of flexible energy platforms for AI data centres. 

By integrating residential, commercial and industrial assets into virtual power plants, operators can manage peak loads efficiently, reduce reliance on traditional infrastructure and access responsive capacity.

BYOC and Flexibility-as-a-Service programmes also allow data centres to monetise their own assets while participating in demand flexibility, smoothing spikes in electricity use caused by AI workloads. 

Residential aggregations contribute additional capacity, enabling faster response than traditional solutions such as gas peaker plants.

Across the US and the UK, these initiatives show how distributed energy resources and intelligent software platforms address grid constraints and scale to meet AI-driven electricity demand. 

For data centres, this means reliable, cost-effective and flexible power, supporting operational growth without lengthy network delays.

Voltus and Octopus' collaboration proves that virtual power plants and smart demand management are practical tools for powering the next generation of data centres, combining economic benefits with cleaner, more resilient energy systems.