Schneider Electric has launched an integrated and AI-powered platform to enhance grid resiliency, reliability and efficiency.

The One Digital Grid Platform provides the data and technical foundation to integrate independent software offerings, helping utilities accelerate grid modernisation and deliver cleaner, more affordable energy while benefitting from lower cost of ownership.

Many utilities rely on outdated grid systems without the scalability, automation and integration needed to keep pace with growing electricity demand, more extreme weather events and the rapid expansion of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as rooftop solar, EV charging and battery storage. The One Digital Grid Platform provides the interoperability utilities need to accelerate modernisation, improve reliability and lower costs by integrating mission-critical software into a secure and scalable ecosystem.

The platform enables real-time insights, predictive analytics and automation to drive efficiency and resiliency across the grid, reduce outages by up to 40%, decrease DER interconnection timelines by 25% and decrease application deployment time by 60%. It will be available to utilities later this year for immediate implementation.

The platform leverages a hybrid cloud architecture, addressing three core use cases to help utilities navigate difficulties:

• Grid planning and asset management: Helping utilities optimise infrastructure investments by integrating design, validation and data management tools. This ensures long-term grid reliability while reducing capital and operational costs.
• Grid operations and resiliency: Providing real-time and go-forward awareness by leveraging operational and third-party data and using first-party predictive analytics from firms such as AiDash (www.aidash.com) to understand climate risk. These capabilities improve disaster response, increase efficiency and enhance grid flexibility, even during extreme weather events.
• Grid flexibility and user engagement: Empowering utilities to integrate DERs seamlessly while enhancing customer experiences. The platform supports a more dynamic, consumer-driven energy ecosystem by streamlining interoperability with products from partners such as prosumer engagement platform provider Uplight (uplight.com).

The platform is built to innovate alongside the energy industry, providing utilities with the flexibility and security needed to adapt to emerging problems. Leveraging Microsoft Azure, it ensures seamless, end-to-end connectivity while enabling interoperability with external systems for rapid insights and enriched operational capabilities. Its robust, multi-layered cyber-security measures protect critical infrastructure from evolving threats, while plug-and-play integration simplifies the deployment of new technologies, accelerating time to value.

“The future of grid management demands a holistic, data-driven approach prioritising resiliency, efficiency and flexibility,” said Ruben Llanes from Schneider Electric. “With the One Digital Grid Platform, utilities can reduce the complexity of the grid, improve reliability, reduce outages and integrate DERs to meet increased energy demand. By providing an open, modular and AI-powered architecture that connects across the entire grid lifecycle – from planning and operations to customer engagement – we help utilities build a more dynamic energy infrastructure tailored to their and their customers’ ever-evolving needs.”

Schneider’s partnerships, including collaborations with Microsoft, Esri and Uplight, drive advancements in automated grid intelligence, situational awareness and customer engagement. These partnerships enable innovations that enhance grid modernisation efforts, ensuring a smarter and more resilient energy infrastructure.

As part of this effort, Schneider has joined Epri (www.epri.com), an organisation that conducts research and development to improve the energy industry and its global initiative to handle growing demand for data centres. This collaboration focuses on creating flexible data centre architecture and demand response programmes that enable faster interconnection to the grid. By partnering with utilities and data centre providers, Schneider brings deep domain expertise to help overcome capacity bottlenecks while ensuring sustainable growth in digital infrastructure.

“Economic and technological growth is dependent on our ability to deliver energy reliably, securely and affordably,” said Nadege Petit, chief innovation officer at Schneider Electric. “By fostering collaboration across the industry, we are addressing key challenges like data centre grid-capacity constraints.”

To reinforce its commitment to the evolution of the electrical grid as a driver for growth, Schneider Electric (www.se.com) also announced its plans to invest over $700m in the USA, supporting energy and AI sectors and job growth. This underscores Schneider’s regional focus to support growing digitalisation, automation and manufacturing demand as well as its position to meet the evolving needs of US customers and the broader community.