Israeli company Exodigo has received federal funding in the USA to help modernise the power grid.

It has partnered with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to support the transition to underground electric power lines through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (Arpa-E) programme.

Exodigo will provide the accurate, complete subsurface maps needed to improve underground processes for power lines as part of the Gophurrs grid overhaul with proactive, high-speed undergrounding for reliability, resilience and security in the Arpa-E programme led by the US Department of Energy.

In partnership with the PNNL and Rutgers, Exodigo will work with participating utilities – including Avista Utilities, Portland General Electric and WEC Energy Group – to support Gophurrs’ mission to strengthen and modernise America’s aging power grid through the development of cost-effective, high-speed and safe undergrounding technologies.

“Our team at PNNL sees great potential through this Arpa-E project to speed up undergrounding operations and support improvements to the reliability and resilience of the nation’s electrical grid,” said Frederick Day-Lewis, a chief geophysicist at PNNL.

Jeremy Suard, CEO of Exodigo, added: “We are deeply honoured to receive this federal funding as it is a testament to our team’s relentless innovation and dedication. Underscoring Exodigo’s commitment to revolutionising undergrounding technology for power grids, we look forward to improving the resilience and efficiency of our nation’s energy infrastructure in collaboration with PNNL.”

The project aims to improve underground power distribution line installation. With the deployment of Exodigo’s artificial intelligence (AI) system, it will be possible to streamline the processing of geophysical survey data into digital twins and augmented reality, allowing for the identification of subsurface obstacles prior to installation. This AI system will autonomously process data from multiple geophysical sensors, delivering accurate, complete subsurface mapping and utility identification. Ultimately, the project should drive cost savings and increased efficiency in the process of undergrounding power lines.

Exodigo’s subsurface imaging technology transforms the capital projects process with multi-sensing technology and AI. Founded by former elite Israeli intelligence officers, the firm is now headquartered in San Francisco and Tel Aviv. After raising one of the largest seed rounds in recent Israeli history in 2022 (over $41m), Exodigo (www.exodigo.com) launched commercially in the USA, and is working with hundreds of customers across the USA, UK, France and Israel to make capital projects safer, more efficient and more sustainable.