Schneider Electric pushes energy-AI integration at Davos

Schneider Electric SE is leveraging this week’s World Economic Forum gathering in Davos to advance its vision of integrating artificial intelligence with energy infrastructure, as surging power demand from data centers forces industries to rethink consumption patterns.

Olivier Blum, chief executive officer, will lead a delegation championing what the company calls “energy intelligence”, the convergence of electrification, automation and digitalisation across sectors. The push comes as AI-driven computing strains global electricity grids, creating both challenges and commercial opportunities for energy technology providers.

“AI requires compute, and compute requires energy,” Blum said in a statement. “Customers across every sector are facing the same challenge, the same opportunity: using energy efficiently.” The French industrial giant will collect trophies for two AI applications selected by the Forum’s MINDS program, which spotlights deployable artificial intelligence solutions. The EcoStruxure Microgrid Advisor and Snaplogic Touchscreen Room Controller earned recognition in the initiative’s first two cohorts, with Blum accepting awards at a January 20 reception.

Schneider’s Wuhan manufacturing facility also secured designation as a “Lighthouse” factory by the Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, making it one of three sites worldwide honored for workforce development, a newly introduced category. The distinction marks Schneider’s ninth Lighthouse recognition and acknowledges the plant’s approach to bridging manufacturing skills gaps through people-centric training models.

Beyond corporate accolades, Schneider is positioning itself at the centre of cross-industry collaboration on energy efficiency. Frédéric Godemel, executive vice president of Energy Management, will convene the inaugural gathering of the Bloomberg New Economy Energy Technology Coalition, bringing together C-suite executives to accelerate the adoption of efficiency technologies amid escalating electricity consumption.

The coalition represents a strategic bet that industrial coordination, rather than individual company initiatives, will prove essential as AI proliferation drives unprecedented power requirements. Global data center electricity demand is projected to more than double by 2026, according to International Energy Agency estimates.

Schneider is also expanding its social impact footprint through EDGE Transition, a joint accelerator with Portugal’s EDP that will support entrepreneurs delivering clean energy access to underserved communities. The partnership, set for announcement January 21, will provide early-stage ventures with mentorship, technical validation and capital access.

The moves underscore how established industrial players are repositioning around the energy-AI nexus, seeking to capture value from infrastructure upgrades while addressing sustainability mandates. For Schneider, the Davos platform offers visibility with decision-makers navigating the same electrification pressures across manufacturing, real estate and technology sectors.

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