Southwest Power Pool & Hitachi Partner on AI
Source: digitalengineering247.com
AI Solution for Power Grid Interconnection
Hitachi, Ltd. and Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) are partnering to develop an integrated AI solution. The goal is to accelerate generator interconnection (GI) by decreasing study analysis times by 80% and informing faster decision-making for GI customers. According to Hitachi, this will improve SPP’s ability to increase generating capacity in its 14-state region.
U.S. energy demands are increasing, driven by data center growth, manufacturing expansion, and electrification. Data centers could consume up to 12% of U.S. electricity by 2028. The partnership uses Hitachi competencies, including Method’s design services, GlobalLogic’s software engineering services, Hitachi Energy’s energy portfolio management asset modeling solutions, Hitachi R&D’s AI-based energy grid algorithm, and Hitachi Vantara’s integrated storage and compute platform Hitachi iQ, built on NVIDIA accelerated computing, networking, and AI software.
SPP will guide the integration of technical solutions and services. SPP’s input will ensure the project outcomes align with requirements and regulations.
Statements on the Partnership
SPP President and CEO Lanny Nickell stated that the industry has struggled to keep up with the rising demand for electricity. He added that SPP is working with Hitachi and NVIDIA to realize a vision of a better energy future.
Hitachi Digital’s chief growth officer, Frank Antonysamy, said that the initiative is about reimagining electricity production and distribution using modern AI technology. He added that the AI solution will provide data for quicker, better-informed decisions.
NVIDIA’s senior managing director of the Global Energy Industry, Marc Spieler, noted that interconnection process acceleration is critical. He said that Hitachi and SPP are helping speed interconnection studies using NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI.
Projected Completion
Phase one milestones are expected to be completed by winter 2025/26. Goals include initial systems acceleration, data management processes optimization, and the introduction of AI-augmented simulation modeling.