Will Schneider Electric’s Tech Coalition Serve Data Centres?

As electricity demand from AI and data centres increases, Schneider Electric and Bloomberg New Economy have launched the Energy Technology Coalition to focus on smarter, more responsive power systems.

Across global markets, investment is flowing into new generation and transmission capacity to meet rising loads from hyperscale campuses, industrial electrification and growing populations. 

Yet for data centre operators, supply alone is not enough. Grid flexibility, digital management and demand side optimisation are becoming critical to sustaining high-density growth.

The invitation-only coalition is co-chaired by Schneider Electric and Bloomberg New Economy. It brings together leaders from energy, technology and infrastructure to accelerate deployment of clean and intelligent energy solutions.

Aligning energy and digital infrastructure

The coalition will examine why demand-side technologies such as AI-enabled grid management, digital twins and industrial automation systems have seen uneven adoption.

It will also explore how emerging technologies can optimise energy use and improve grid responsiveness, enabling greater integration of clean power sources.

For data centres needing reliable high-capacity connections, smarter grid orchestration can support faster interconnection and more predictable performance. Digital twins and AI-based forecasting can also improve planning for large-scale campuses.

Frédéric Godemel, Executive Vice President, Energy Management at Schneider Electric, says: “Building a resilient and affordable energy future requires strong collaboration across the technology and energy sectors.

“By working together and leveraging innovations like AI and digital twins, we can strengthen the grid, improve reliability and make energy more accessible and cost-effective for everyone.

“Schneider Electric is committed to partnering with industry leaders to deliver solutions that support economic growth and ensure our energy infrastructure can meet the demands of tomorrow, which is why we’re excited to play a part in this new coalition.”

Why energy technology matters now

Bloomberg New Economy’s New Energy Outlook 2025 forecasts electricity demand to grow 34% over the next decade and 75% by 2050. Data centres are a significant contributor, alongside electric vehicles, industrial electrification and broader digitalisation.

In many regions, grids must expand while simultaneously decarbonising. For hyperscale and AI facilities, which can require hundreds of megawatts at a single site, delays in transmission upgrades and interconnection queues pose material risks to deployment timelines.

Karen Saltser, CEO of Bloomberg Media, says: “We are witnessing a critical moment where digital infrastructure and energy systems are converging at an accelerating pace.

“It’s clear the world would benefit from coordinated action to ensure that surging AI and compute demands are met with clean, resilient and efficient energy for generations to come.

“By bringing together the best minds in this industry, the Energy Technology Coalition will help catalyse new innovations, partnerships and policies needed to power the future responsibly.”

Encouraging smarter demand 

Beyond adding generation capacity, the coalition is focused on improving how energy demand is managed. Bloomberg New Economy notes that more than one billion people still lack reliable access to power, even as advanced economies prepare for gigawatt-scale AI campuses.

The proposed approach centres on combining efficiency with flexibility. In practice, this could include dynamic load management for data centres, integration of on-site microgrids and advanced monitoring to align consumption with periods of cleaner generation.

Olivier Blum, CEO of Schneider Electric, wrote on LinkedIn: “Every conversation about AI eventually leads back to energy, not how much we need, but how wisely we use it.

“The more energy is demanded from our grid, the more important energy technology becomes.

“When energy is made to be more intelligent, we can make practical improvements in how it is managed. Buildings consume less electricity, microgrids create more resilience, digital twins visualise richer data for superior pre-construction planning.”

Olivier points to digital twins and microgrids as tools that can support more resilient data centre planning and operation.

For operators planning new AI capacity, the coalition’s focus reflects a broader shift in the sector.

Securing megawatts is no longer the sole challenge. Integrating clean energy, managing peak demand and deploying intelligent grid technologies are becoming central to sustaining large-scale digital infrastructure growth.