Integrated Generation and Electrical Control for a Gigawatt-Scale Hyperscale Data Center

Executive Summary

A global technology company is developing a hyperscale data center supported by a dedicated on-site power plant designed for more than a gigawatt of generating capacity, powered primarily by gas turbines. The facility must deliver continuous, high-quality power to compute-intensive workloads while managing the electrical complexity of a generation asset operating at utility scale.

To meet these requirements, the project team selected the Ovation™ Automation Platform to provide unified supervisory control across generation, balance-of-plant systems, and electrical infrastructure. The solution combines turbine and switchyard supervisory control, comprehensive balance-of-plant automation, and an integrated Electrical Control and Monitoring System (ECMS) that gives operators a single control foundation spanning the fuel-to-breaker path.

 

Project Background

This North American site pairs a hyperscale data center campus with co-located, dispatchable power generation sized to support the facility's full compute load. Generation is provided primarily by gas turbines, with a supporting switchyard and substation delivering power to the data center halls.

Key architectural characteristics include:

• On-site generating capacity designed for 1+ GW to serve always-on digital workloads
• A phased development approach, with generating capacity and supporting infrastructure being deployed in multiple stages as the campus grows
• Gas-turbine-based generation operating under coordinated supervisory control
• A full complement of balance-of-plant systems supporting continuous generation
• Switchyard and substation infrastructure managing power delivery and load distribution

Given the scale of the power island and the criticality of the load it serves, the project requires industrial-grade automation capable of coordinating generation and electrical assets as a single, reliable system.

 

Customer Challenges

The project team faces challenges characteristic of co-located generation at hyperscale:

• Breadth of systems under control: Turbines, switchyard, and a wide range of balance-of-plant subsystems must operate under one coordinated strategy rather than as isolated islands of automation.
• Continuous availability requirements: The data center load cannot tolerate interruption, placing stringent reliability demands on both generation and the electrical distribution path.
• Dynamic load management: Compute-driven demand requires responsive breaker control and load management coordinated with generation dispatch.
• Operational visibility at scale: Operators need consolidated situational awareness across a large, asset-dense plant, along with the asset health information needed to plan maintenance without risking availability.
• Accelerated delivery schedules: Compressed timelines require early operational readiness without compromising reliability or safety.

To address these challenges, the customer requires a controls supplier with proven experience in large-scale, mission-critical power generation.

 

Solution: Unified Control on the Ovation Automation Platform

The Ovation Automation Platform was selected to provide a centralized automation and control environment spanning the generation plant and its electrical infrastructure. Deployed for the initial phases of the project, the platform provides a common operational framework that can be readily expanded as additional generating capacity, electrical infrastructure, and data center facilities are brought online.

The integrated solution includes:

• Supervisory control of the turbines and switchyard, coordinating generation dispatch with power delivery
• Balance-of-plant subsystem control across demineralized water, fuel gas, water systems, auxiliary electrical, substation, and switchgear
• Operator Visualization including modern HMI, SCADA and asset management software for plant-wide operational visibility and equipment health monitoring
• ECMS for breaker control and load management across the electrical distribution system

Consolidating generation, balance-of-plant, and electrical control on a common platform eliminates the integration seams that typically separate plant DCS from electrical SCADA thereby giving operators one interface, one control framework, one alarm philosophy, and one engineering environment across the site.

 

Results and Operational Readiness

The Ovation-based solution will establish a control foundation capable of supporting the plant from commissioning through sustained operation at full load.

Key outcomes will include:

• Coordinated supervisory control across generation, balance-of-plant, and switchyard assets
• Reliable power delivery to the data center under dynamic load conditions, with ECMS-managed breaker control and load management
• Plant-wide operator visibility and asset health awareness through integrated HMIs, SCADA and asset management software
• A scalable, standards-based automation architecture that supports the project's phased development strategy, enabling the control system to expand seamlessly as additional power generation, electrical assets, and data center capacity are added over time. Together, these capabilities will allow the operator to sustain continuous digital operations while relying on an industrial-grade control system to manage generation and electrical complexity.

Why It Matters

As hyperscale operators increasingly build their own generation rather than drawing solely from the grid, the boundary between power plant and data center disappears. This project demonstrates how a unified automation platform delivers the reliability and operational discipline that next-generation digital infrastructure demands.

 

Learn More About Emerson Solutions for Data Centers

Emerson delivers a portfolio of automation and digital technologies engineered to help data center operators strengthen reliability, streamline integration, and scale confidently.

• Data Center Energy Management for Microgrid & Power Islands
  Intelligent orchestration across on-site generation and supporting assets for continuous uptime and energy optimization.

• Microgrid Control & Control Systems
  Coordinated control of generation, storage, and electrical distribution across self-powered facilities.

• Operator Visualization Software
  Clear operational visibility across an entire portfolio of energy generation and storage assets. 

• Ovation AI-Enabled Applications 
  Applies intelligent decision support to improve grid stability, forecast loading patterns, and identify anomalies for better reliability and efficiency.

• Power and Water Cybersecurity Suite 
  Strengthens cyber resilience across OT environments with continuous monitoring, threat detection, and role‑based access controls designed to protect mission‑critical power infrastructure.

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