Optimizing Infrastructure Investments: Utilizing Emerging AI Tools to Surgically Strengthen the Grid Amidst Growing Demand and Complexity

Electric utilities across the U.S. are bracing for an unprecedented surge in new electricity demands from data centers supporting AI advancements and expanding consumer and commercial fleets of electric vehicles (EVs). In December 2024, Canary Media reported a projected new load growth of nearly 128 GW over the next 5 years. These new loads pressure grid operators to rapidly modernize their aging (and largely antiquated) networks and infrastructure. IOUs, municipal utilities, and co-ops face a daunting challenge: ensuring continued grid reliability while accommodating fast-growing, power-intensive sectors and evolving consumer needs. Despite record-breaking capital expenditures, the scope of needed upgrades still vastly surpasses what current investment levels and resources can achieve.

This Old Grid: Record Capital Investments Are Still Not Enough

According to a recent Reuters article, U.S. utilities are ramping up capital expenditures to meet the growing demand from power-hungry sectors, with nine profiled utilities raising their forecasted capital expenditures by an average of 22% between 2025 and 2027.... Continue Reading