H.R. 9339: Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act

This bill would require the Secretary of Energy to study how artificial intelligence and high-performance computing could be used to improve the U.S. bulk-power system, which is the high-voltage electricity grid that moves power across large regions.

What the study would cover

• How AI and high-performance computing could help increase grid capacity, improve reliability, and make grid operations more efficient.
• Whether these technologies could help speed up generator interconnection studies and load interconnection studies, which are the reviews needed before new power plants or large electricity users can connect to the grid.
• What AI and high-performance computing are already being used for in grid operations, and how widely they are currently adopted.
• What obstacles may limit broader use, including technical, regulatory, cybersecurity, and operational issues.
• Whether AI systems using probabilistic operating techniques can help improve grid performance. In simple terms, this means using AI tools that estimate likely outcomes and risks rather than relying only on fixed rules.

Deadlines and reporting

• The Secretary of Energy would have to complete the assessment within 90 days after enactment.
• Within one year after enactment, the Secretary would have to submit a report to Congress summarizing the assessment.
• The report would also need to include recommendations on how to reduce or remove barriers and how to encourage adoption of these technologies in grid operations.

Who would be involved

The assessment would be done by the Department of Energy in consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Electric Reliability Organization.

Practical effect

The bill does not itself require utilities to use AI or high-performance computing. Instead, it directs the federal government to evaluate whether these tools could help the electric grid and what would be needed to use them more broadly.

Relevant Companies

• NEE - NextEra Energy, Inc. could be affected if grid operators and utilities adopt new AI-driven tools that change how transmission, generation, and interconnection processes are managed.
• DUK - Duke Energy Corporation could be affected through changes in grid planning, reliability operations, or interconnection review processes.
• SO - The Southern Company could see indirect effects if the study leads to broader use of AI in bulk-power system operations.
• EXC - Exelon Corporation could be impacted by utility adoption of software and computing tools for grid operations and planning.
• IBM - IBM could benefit if public or private grid operators increase demand for AI and high-performance computing solutions.
• HPE - Hewlett Packard Enterprise could be affected by potential demand for high-performance computing systems used in grid analysis and operations.
• NVDA - NVIDIA Corporation could be indirectly affected if AI hardware and computing infrastructure are increasingly used for power-system modeling and optimization.
• ANET - Arista Networks, Inc. could be indirectly affected if more advanced computing and networking infrastructure is deployed in energy-sector operations.