A new consortium brings together energy companies, tech giants to create open AI model for the power sector

EPRI, a non-profit electricity research and development organization, announced a collaboration with Microsoft to develop and deploy AI solutions in the energy sector at DISTRIBUTECH 2025, the largest electricity transmission and distribution event in North America. 

Under the new agreement, and as a part of the Open Power AI Consortium, EPRI and Microsoft will collaborate with energy companies globally in an effort to enhance grid reliability, improve workforce safety, advance forecasting and planning models, and achieve real-time grid intelligence using AI.

Microsoft is a founding member, alongside 30+ energy companies of EPRI’s Open Power AI Consortium, a cross-sector global effort to use advanced digital technologies and innovate how electricity is made, moved, and used by customers. Among the consortium’s goals is to create a sandbox environment to develop and validate AI applications, collaborating with utilities, startups, academia, national labs, and technology companies.   

“Over the next decade, AI is expected to revolutionize the power sector by delivering the capability to enhance grid reliability, optimize asset performance, and enable more efficient energy management,” said EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoor. “Working with Microsoft, EPRI will lead this transformation, driving innovation toward a more resilient and affordable energy future.  

EPRI will also join Microsoft for the upcoming Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit this week where CEOs will explore pathways to accelerate AI for mission-driven outcomes. 

What is the Open Power AI Consortium?

Last week, EPRI announced the launch of the Open Power AI Consortium at NVIDIA’s GTC event to drive the development and deployment of an open AI model tailored for the power sector, accelerating AI adoption to reduce operating costs while improving the energy customer experience. 

Guidance will be provided through an Executive Advisory Group as well as the general membership including top executives from the following energy companies: ACWA (NOMAC), Alliant Energy, Ameren, Constellation, Con Edison, CPS Energy, Dairyland Power Cooperative, Duke Energy, ENOWA (NEOM’s Energy and Water Company), Exelon, GCC Interconnection Authority, Georgia Transmission Corporation, KEPCO, KHNP, Khalifa University, MISO, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, New York Power Authority (NYPA), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Portland General Electric, PPL Corporation, RTE, Santee Cooper, Saudi Electricity Company, Southern Company, Southern California Edison, Tennessee Valley Authority, WEC Energy Group, and Westinghouse Electric Company.

The energy executives will join technology companies Articul8, AWS, Linux Foundation Energy, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, Rolls-Royce SMR Limited, SHI and WWT as members, with future members to be added.

The consortium will focus on three primary areas:

• Develop and maintain open-source AI/Gen AI domain-specific models, datasets, libraries, optimized to address power sector-specific challenges.
• Create a sandbox environment to develop and validate AI applications (use cases) in collaboration with startups, academia, national labs, utilities, and technology companies.
• Deploy AI models leveraging global resources and expertise and incorporate lessons learned to accelerate innovation and de-risk deployment.