PJM Interconnection has announced a multiyear collaboration with Google and Tapestry to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) tools meant to reduce the time it takes to process new generation interconnection requests.
The initiative is part of PJM’s broader effort to streamline the complex planning processes required to connect new generation resources to the nation’s largest power grid. With a growing backlog of projects and rising electricity demand across its 13-state footprint, PJM is looking at technologies to boost efficiency and maintain reliability.
At the center of the partnership is Tapestry, a Google-backed initiative described as a "moonshot for the electrical grid." Tapestry will work closely with PJM to develop AI-driven tools and models—powered by Google Cloud and DeepMind—to improve how PJM evaluates, prioritizes, and advances interconnection applications.
“Innovation will be critical to meeting the demands on the future grid,” said Aftab Khan, executive vice president – Operations, Planning & Security at PJM. “We’re leveraging some of the world’s best capabilities with these tools to further reduce completion times for New Service Requests. PJM is committed to bringing new generation onto the system as quickly and reliably as possible.”
Tapestry’s AI solutions aim to increase decision-making speed and accuracy in PJM’s planning department—making it easier to assess project feasibility, manage transmission constraints, and anticipate impacts on grid stability. According to Tapestry General Manager Page Crahan, “AI can play a pivotal role in improving and expanding the electricity system while maintaining reliability and security.”
Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s head of Data Center Energy, noted the broader implications of the project: “This initiative brings together our most advanced technologies to help solve one of the greatest challenges of the AI era—evolving our electricity systems to meet this moment.”
This collaboration builds on PJM’s reforms to its interconnection process, which began in July 2023. Of the roughly 200 GW of proposed new generation capacity under review, PJM plans to complete processing of the remaining 67 GW during 2025–2026. A new interconnection cycle process is expected to begin in early 2026, alongside PJM’s recently announced Reliability Resource Initiative, which offers an expedited path for selected projects.
