Smart demand coalition targets cleaner energy use
The new global initiative focuses on AI-enabled energy efficiency as electricity demand rises across data centres and urban growth.
Image for illustrative purposes
USA, Las Vegas / Singapore: Schneider Electric and Bloomberg New Economy have launched the Energy Technology Coalition, a private-sector group aiming to advance technologies that make electricity use more efficient, responsive and resilient. The initiative was announced during Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit North America in Las Vegas and at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore.
While many current energy strategies emphasise building more generation capacity to serve expanding data centres and population growth, the Coalition shifts attention to how electricity is used. It will investigate how artificial intelligence and other digital tools can help lower consumption, improve grid responsiveness and better integrate diverse generation sources, including cleaner power.
The Coalition will bring together leaders from energy, infrastructure and technology sectors to assess why demand-side technologies, such as AI-driven grid control, digital twins and industrial automation, have not scaled faster. It plans to develop evidence-based recommendations to reduce deployment barriers, aiming to enable more reliable and cost-effective energy use.
Frédéric Godemel, Executive Vice President for Energy Management at Schneider Electric, said that collaboration across sectors will be key to building energy systems that are both robust and affordable. He emphasised the role of digital technologies in strengthening the grid and supporting economic development.
Founding members include representatives from IBM, MIT, SPAN, TenneT, and former UK Energy Minister Claire O’Neill, who stated that managing demand more intelligently can significantly reduce costs and improve flexibility.
Bloomberg Media CEO Karen Saltser added that the convergence of digital infrastructure and energy systems requires coordinated action to address rising electricity needs from AI.
The Coalition’s first in-person meeting will be held in January 2026 at Bloomberg House in Davos.
Source: Schneider ELectric
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