June 5 (Reuters) - Several ​large data centers and crypto facilities planning to connect to the Texas power grid ahead of ‌peak summer demand have failed key reliability tests, raising the risk of power outages just as electricity use hits its seasonal high, according to the state grid operator.

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Unlike traditional industrial customers, which tend to draw electricity steadily and ​predictably, data centers are engineered to cut their connection to the grid at the first sign ⁠of trouble to protect their equipment and keep services running. That makes them an unpredictable and potentially destabilizing force ​on grids already under pressure from rising demand.

Four groups of unnamed large electricity users, including data centers, abruptly disconnected ​from the Texas grid during a test of how they would handle routine voltage disturbances, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said in a report dated May 21.

When large customers abruptly cut their power use, it can knock the grid off balance and trigger wider ​outages.