Deloitte announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Utilidata, aimed at transforming the utility industry by leveraging AI and data capabilities for intelligent power grid solutions. By combining Deloitte’s deep data science and energy industry experience and incorporating NVIDIA’s accelerated computing and AI software platform, as well as the Utilidata Karman platform, the new initiative will support clients as they navigate the modern power grid, enhancing the use of renewable energy sources with real-time, actionable insights powered by AI and low-latency edge computing.
“Optimizing energy systems is imperative for intelligent grid infrastructure — the balancing act is between reliability, resilience and sustainability,” said Khalid Behairy, AI practice leader for power, utilities and renewables and managing director, Deloitte Consulting LLP. “Through our new collaboration with Utilidata and NVIDIA, we can bring our industry advantage, redefine energy management and help create a more digitized, decentralized, and sustainable energy ecosystem.”
As the U.S. power grid modernizes to adapt to the decentralization of energy generation and the dynamic patterns of consumption driven by electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy sources, traditional methods of grid operation no longer provide the dependability required for this critical infrastructure.
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Deloitte’s collaboration with Utilidata and NVIDIA will help address this challenge by deploying distributed AI-driven analytics at the grid edge, where power is increasingly generated and stored. This custom module and platform — powered by the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI platform and embedded in electricity meters and backed by Deloitte’s technology and engineering domain — transforms each meter into a data collection and control point, capable of handling thousands of data points per second. By providing real-time insights that enhance the resiliency and sustainability of energy systems, utilities companies can reduce energy demand forecasting latency, improve response time and field team efficiency, and increase grid safety and uptime.
“The electricity grid is becoming more complex with distributed energy resources, and scaling requires collaboration between global leaders,” said Marc Spieler, senior director, energy, NVIDIA. “Working with Deloitte will enable utilities to use a truly open platform to achieve their decarbonization and electrification goals at scale.”
“Our goal is to bring the best tools and outcomes to the market as the energy industry races to decarbonize and electrify,” said Jess Melanson, president and chief operating officer, Utilidata. “By teaming with NVIDIA and Deloitte, we continue to break down barriers to make it easier to deploy AI at the grid edge to help solve the industry’s biggest challenges.”
The deployment of AI-enabled smart meters exemplifies how AI and edge computing capabilities enable grid operators to meet rising energy demand from homes and businesses, all while advancing decarbonization, affordability and resilience goals, and enhancing consumer experience. Utilidata and NVIDIA are also working to embed Utilidata’s custom NVIDIA module with the Karman platform in other distribution grid devices, helping utilities leverage distributed AI for a wider range of grid planning and operational challenges.
By providing easy access to high-quality data and analysis in real-time, utilities can better understand and predict grid conditions, identify distributed energy resources and understand their impact, and reduce outages and equipment failure.
SOURCE: PRNewswire