How AI is reshaping the way we build, run and secure the grid, with Microsoft's Per Christian Honningsvaag

[Summer break] Let's Talk Energy will return with new episodes in late August 2026.

Let’s Talk Energy and try to understand how AI might be used to future proof the grid and what bumps we could encounter along the way.

Regulators and utilities worldwide are sounding the alarm about the impact of data centers on the stability of the electricity grid. But the same compute that is straining our power system can also improve efficiency and access diverse sources of power more easily. That efficiency, however, could result in more complex and critical decisions relying on AI, rather than on human judgment, potentially inviting questions about safety and cybersecurity.

Can AI alleviate the need for more physical grid infrastructure and defray some of the expense needed to make the system fit for the future?

How can a growing role for AI in grid management improve reliability, and how should we think about the threats from digital hiccups or malicious cyberattacks on our critical infrastructure?

And how is Microsoft looking at the potential for its own data centers to at least support – if not enhance – the way grids function today?

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