How Schneider Electric Positions Sustainable AI Data Centres

Schneider Electric is helping meet the rising energy needs of the AI era – placing data centres at the heart of its strategy. 

At the company's 2025 Innovation Summit in Copenhagen, CEO Olivier Blum outlines how this pivot addresses surging electricity demand and the climate crisis, with data centres sitting squarely between these two trends.

Olivier sets out Schneider’s ambition to become the world’s leading “energy technology company”, moving beyond the label of equipment manufacturer. 

This shift sees the French multinational betting heavily on data centre technologies, digital tools and connected systems to solve one of the biggest infrastructure challenges of the decade.

Olivier says: “Energy is both the blood of modern life and a bulwark against its greatest threat: climate change.”

AI’s energy appetite meets infrastructure pressure

The rise of AI, automation and Internet of Things (IoT) devices triggers a forecasted 60% jump in global electricity consumption over the next 15 years, Olivier explains. 

Data centres are among the most energy-hungry assets in this scenario.

This energy pressure introduces what Olivier calls "the new normal" of power volatility and price unpredictability, driving demand for smarter, more flexible infrastructure. It is here that Schneider’s data centre strategy becomes key.

The company is developing solutions for what it calls “software-defined power” – a term referring to programmable energy systems in data centres that optimise power flow and performance in real time. 

This approach supports hyperscale and edge data centres alike as they navigate fluctuating demand and the need for constant uptime.

In addition to electrical optimisation, Schneider is investing in AI-enhanced cooling systems. Liquid cooling and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) technologies are designed to keep high-density server racks within safe temperature ranges without draining excess energy.

Schneider’s SpaceLogic Room Controller, for example, uses embedded AI to control energy usage in smart buildings. 

While aimed at commercial real estate, similar embedded intelligence is also being deployed to reduce data centre energy waste.

From platforms to patents: digital-first infrastructure

Olivier positions Schneider's EcoStruxure platform as the digital spine for this transformation. This open IoT-enabled architecture links data centre systems, energy analytics, automation tools and remote operations under a single framework.

EcoStruxure already supports more than one million buildings and is present in 40% of hospitals worldwide. 

Within data centres, it acts as a control layer across hardware and software, using real-time monitoring to fine-tune power and thermal management.

The company files more than 1,400 patent applications a year, with a growing share targeting data centre environments.

From predictive maintenance tools to scalable cooling systems, this R&D push is directed at facilities operators facing capacity strain and sustainability targets.

Olivier stresses that grid infrastructure needs to become "more agile to handle volatility and renewables" and Schneider’s answer is a combination of microgrid advisors and real-time automation tools designed to balance fluctuating loads.

The company’s approach accepts that energy consumption will continue growing, especially in AI-heavy applications and leans on technology to mitigate the environmental footprint rather than attempting to suppress demand.

Decarbonising while scaling up

Schneider promotes itself as a sustainability leader and this extends to its data centre offerings. It reports a 75% cut in its Scope 1 and 2 emissions – covering direct and operational emissions – since 2017, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.

However, Scope 3 emissions – those generated in its supply chain – remain a complex challenge. To address this, Schneider operates the Zero Carbon Project, aimed at decarbonising its supplier network and the Materialize programme, focused on customer-side efficiency.

With a venture capital arm, SE Ventures, valued at more than US$1bn, Schneider backs start-ups working on green technologies, some of which are focused directly on energy storage, cooling and grid software that benefit data centres.

Schneider’s ecosystem includes over a million professionals – from electricians to system integrators –who bring its platforms into mission-critical infrastructure like hyperscale facilities and industrial campuses.

Oliver underscores the urgency: "We can't just react to these changes – we must lead."

Whether it can reconcile rapid data centre growth with the pace of decarbonisation remains the core challenge. 

As AI becomes a defining force in both computing and energy demand, Schneider’s evolution from manufacturer to energy tech partner could mark a defining shift in how digital infrastructure meets environmental constraints.