Top 10: AI Applications in Energy
AI is playing a critical role in modernising and transforming the energy sector.
It has the ability to deliver high efficiency, cost reduction, sustainability and operational safety which is increasingly important as the world transitions to cleaner energy.
With the market becoming competitive, several companies are adopting AI technologies to stand out in the expanding landscape.
Energy Digital has ranked the Top 10 companies using AI in the energy sector.
10. NextEra Energy
Employees: 15,000
CEO: John W. Ketchum
Founded: 1925
NextEra Energy says that it is driving innovation, equipping itself with AI powered drones.
During day to day operations, the drones can be used to perform maintenance assessments on the equipment.
They can be used to assess weather damage on infrastructure, providing real-time assessments of equipment.
This technology could contribute to less outages in data centres, as problems can be fixed quicker.
Eric Schwartz, Senior Manager of Innovation Nuclear at NextEra Energy, says: “I see drone technology as another tool in our toolkit to provide safe, reliable and affordable power to our customers.
“Using high-quality photos and thermal imaging technology, we are able to identify potential issues and schedule a crew to repair so that customers don’t experience an outage.”
9. National Grid
Employees: 31,000
CEO: John Pettigrew
Founded: 1935
In 2025, National Grid announced a commitment to invest US$100m into AI startups and advance the future of energy.
It says the funds will be used for a more efficient, resilient and dynamic grid, supporting economic growth, reducing customer costs and helping to meet climate goals.
Some of the ways National Grid will use AI include monitoring utilities infrastructure networks in real time to see underground and avoid costly missteps.
John Pettigrew, CEO of National Grid, said: “Power systems like National Grid’s are seeing unprecedented challenges, with soaring demand driven by data centres and the electrification of heat and transport, as well as requirements for a more flexible grid with the rise of renewables and EVs.
“We are seeing artificial intelligence play a vital role resolving these issues and delivering compelling results across our operations.
"Scaling AI will continue to help National Grid provide the most efficient, modern grid available for our millions of customers in the US and UK."
8. Iberdrola
Employees: 42,000
CEO: Pedro Azagra
Founded: 1992
Iberdola uses AI through its technical innovation centre, Aldeatejada, and has invested more than US$400m into the project.
The technology has several capabilities alongside AI use, such as cloud services, cybersecurity, automation, digital experience and business solutions.
This centre follows on from the company's centre of excellence in artificial intelligence, where it researches and tests AI technologies focusing on the impact in the energy sector.
7. GE Vernova
Employees: 75,000
CEO: Scott Strazik
Founded: 2024
GE Vernova's project GridOS provides modern software tools to control the complexity of the sustainable energy grid.
The software helps utilities operate the electric grid through disruptive events like storms and wildfires.
The company reports that the use of AI has resulted in 21% less grid outages, a 17% increase in faster restoration times, 70% of more renewable penetration and a 40% reduction in inertia management costs.
Scott Reese, CEO of GE Vernova’s Electrification Software business, said: “We are excited to increase our investment in a critical element of our GridOS offering.
“Together with the Alteia team, whose expertise will help to advance our AI- and data-centric vision for GridOS, GE Vernova will be able to solve critical pain points that our utility customers face.”
6. E.ON
Employees: 77,000
CEO: Leonhard Birnbaum
Founded: 2000
E.ON says that AI is accelerating its energy innovations.
The company collaborates with several others in the industry to create global research programs, powered by AI.
One of the key projects the company is pioneering is the use of LiveEO to manage sustainable energy infrastructure more efficiently.
The system uses 500 satellites, identifying areas where vegetation may pose a threat to large-scale grid infrastructure and mitigating risks associated with it.
5. Siemens Energy
Employees: 100,000
CEO: Christian Bruch
Founded: 1847
Siemens uses AI to create several solutions in the energy sector.
These include optimising the temperature management of data centres, reducing cooling costs and cutting manual engineering steps for hydrogen plants.
The company believes that AI can transform the industry by decoding complex data and optimising critical systems.
Jana Nythruva, Global Data Centre Vertical Lead at Siemens Energy, says: "Data centres can’t wait years for power.
"To meet growing demand, it must be completed quickly, often in under two years.
"Siemens Energy’s portfolio offers the necessary power and equipment, ensuring timely and efficient execution."
4. Shell
Employees: 96,000
CEO: Wael Sawan
Founded: 1907
Shell is focusing its AI capabilities on accelerating the discovery of new materials that go into batteries for storing renewable power alongside solvents for carbon capture and low-carbon fuel blends.
The company found that using AI enables researchers to rapidly digest and summarise decades of scientific research helping to predict the properties of new materials and simulate the behaviour under various conditions.
A team at Shell trained AI models to identify molecules with the required properties to replace Lithium-ion batteries.
Shell reports that the team was able to screen 112 million molecules in just a month and identify 67 promising options.
3. bp
Employees: 100,500
CEO: Murray Auchincloss
Founded: 1909
bp uses AI in several ways and plans to continue using it further in the future.
The company is using AI in its cloud control unit, improving pipeline corrosion monitoring and finding in the best places for fast EV charge points.
The company also is aiming to use AI to help decipher data.
Emeka Emembolu, EVP Technology at bp, says: “I think to succeed in technology, you need to be excited about the future, but also willing to challenge the way things are now.”
2. EDF
Employees: 119,444
CEO: Simone Rossi
Founded: 1946
EDF is one of the largest companies in the energy sector, pioneering several nuclear and grid management projects.
The company says it uses AI in several ways to support the efficiency of its production.
The main focus on AI use is through its industrial activities, in non-critical processes like procurement or maintenance.
As well as its commercial activities through the use of robots to support customer relations.
One of its key projects includes a virtual replica of nuclear installations, aiming to carry out ultra- realistic studies to help understand how nuclear operates.
Stéphane Tanguy, CIO & CTO at EDF Labs, says: “Artificial intelligence has a major role to play in digital acceleration.
“EDF R&D has therefore equipped itself with unprecedented computing and human resources to remove the technological barriers, thereby making a major contribution to the dissemination of AI within all the EDF Group's business."
1. Schneider Electric
Employees: 150,000
CEO: Olivier Blum
Founded: 1836
Schneider Electric is known as one of the most sustainable companies in the world, winning several awards for its efforts.
The company uses AI in its production, focusing on creating AI-ready data centres and aiming to revolutionise data centre infrastructure with AI specific solutions that can meet the high demands of the compute work loads.
Schneider Electric says it uses the powers of AI data centres through streamline energy sourcing, onsite power generation systems and software solutions optimising availability and decarbonisation.
James Simonelli, SVP and Chief Technology Officer, Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric, says: “AI is penetrating at a velocity we’ve never seen before.
“Based on a mix of internal studies, we believe AI workloads could represent up to 36% of the total data centre energy consumption by 2030.
“Additionally, AI workloads will be the core drive for 60% of the energy consumption of new builds between now and 2030.
“AI is not only going to change the way we perform tasks, but will also drastically impact data centre infrastructure.”
