GERHARD SALGE
THE DATA CENTRE INTERVIEW
Instead of relying on a single clean energy source, grids must combine multiple types – like solar, wind and hydro – that naturally balance each other out over time.“ The wider the area, the more complementary your sources, the better you The rise of AI data centres has triggered an unprecedented challenge in our energy infrastructure.
While a conventional data centre can pull as much power as 100,000 homes, the International Energy Agency( IEA) estimates AI campuses currently under construction demand up to 20 times that amount.
Unlike conventional data centres, which pull a predictable, well-managed continuous load from the power grid, AI data centres operate in vastly different phases. The heavy computational training phase requires radically different energy profiles than the deployment phase.
This erratic power demand forces tricky new questions onto the table: Where do we position these facilities to get the power they need? What type of storage do we put into the data centre itself versus the utility connection? How do we guarantee power quality without injecting dangerous disturbances back into the public grid?
“ Technology providers like us with system experience can help data centres not only by supplying the technology but also to build a trustful relationship in between developers, operators and utilities,” explains Gerhard Salge, Chief Technology Officer at Hitachi Energy.
Originally from Germany and now based in Switzerland, Gerhard brings
GERHARD SALGE
TITLE: CTO COMPANY: HITACHI ENERGY INDUSTRY: ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
Gerhard joined the company’ s predecessor in 1999. Advancing through corporate research and medium voltage products, he became Hitachi Energy’ s CTO in 2021.
a background in electrical engineering and three decades of industry experience to his role.
When reflecting on his tenure, he brings a touch of humour to the sheer scale of the challenge:“ The nice thing is you learn a lot in that time, the bad thing is you’ re old.”
That wealth of system experience is desperately needed right now.
Becoming better grid citizens The overarching goal is for tech companies to become“ better grid citizens”, a concept that requires open collaboration with utilities to actively manage data centre demand profiles.“ When you connect a small home to the power grid, the utility company barely notices,” Gerhard explains.“ But a data centre uses so much power that it can easily stress the grid, especially when its power needs suddenly spike or drop.”
To mitigate this, developers must engage with power companies long before ground is broken.
24 August 2026