Who is Amanda Peterson Corio? Google Energy Chief Explains How AI Data Centers Could Help Power Energy Grids

Google’s rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is creating a pressing question for the energy industry: how can data centers provide more electricity without putting more strain on power grids? Amanda Peterson Corio, the company’s global head of data center energy, is working on an approach that could make some of these power-hungry devices more flexible participants in the power grid.

Instead of treating data centers as just energy consumers, Google is exploring how their electricity consumption can be adjusted to help utilities manage periods of high demand.

Who is Amanda Peterson Corio?

Peterson Corio oversees energy procurement, policy and infrastructure development for Google’s global data centers.

According to the US Department of Energy, he has more than 20 years of experience in energy project financing, development and energy supply.

She joined Google more than a decade ago, when its energy team was much smaller. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence has since changed the scale of this challenge, requiring significantly more electricity and closer coordination with utilities.

In an interview, she said Google has moved to treat utilities as partners, not just energy suppliers, with an emphasis on planning infrastructure for decades rather than just meeting immediate demand.

How AI data centers could help the Grid

One of Google’s key approaches is demand response, which allows data centers to reduce or shift some of their electricity consumption when the grid comes under pressure.

Not every computing task needs to happen immediately. Google can delay or relocate selected machine learning jobs, reducing demand in a particular location without disrupting essential services.

In August 2025, the company announced agreements with Indiana Michigan Power and the Tennessee Valley Authority to apply the approach to machine learning tasks. In March 2026, Google said it had signed contracts for one gigawatt of demand response capacity with utility partners across the United States.

Why Google is funding a new power

Flexibility alone will not meet AI’s energy needs. Google is also working with utilities to bring new generation and storage online while covering the infrastructure costs associated with its data centers.

In Minnesota, its deal with Xcel Energy includes 1,400 megawatts of wind, 200 megawatts of solar and 300 megawatts of long-term battery storage. Google has also pledged to cover the costs of the new grid infrastructure associated with the project.

Peterson Corio told an interviewer that such measures could protect households from paying for infrastructure built for big tech companies.

The challenge ahead

Access has its limits. Some computing jobs cannot be delayed and demand response is not available at every workstation. New generation and transmission infrastructure will remain essential as demand for electricity grows.

The challenge for Google is to expand AI while maintaining reliability and affordable energy. Peterson Corio argues that with the right planning and investment, data centers can help modernize the network they increasingly depend on.