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?Related Analysis: Rystad Energy launches Spektra: the next-generation market intelligence platform, shaped by the clients who use it (available to non-clients) Fuel cell investment by data centers set to grow tenfold, reaching $30 billion by 2030 (available to non-clients) Powering the AI era: A special report from Reuters Insights and Rystad Energy (available to non-clients) Grid Equipment Report - First Edition (clients only) As gas turbine orders surge 75%, new market entrants eye growing AI demand (clients only) Fuel cell investment by data centers set to grow tenfold, reaching $30 billion by 2030 (available to non-clients) Data centers offer chance to boost green power consumption in China (clients only) China's data center capacity set to top 60 GW by 2030, driving a doubling of power demand (available to non-clients) Related Episodes: The AI arms race has a critical minerals problem, with Michael Walshe and Jeff Dickerson Will power-hungry data centers overwhelm the grid? Shell’s Peter Wood on AI, future energy scenarios and trade turning points. Let’s Talk Energy is a Rystad Energy Production.    Produced by Elliot Busby & Både Og.    Executive producers: Noah Brenner, Elliot Busby, Evodie Fleury-Greaker & Erik Means.    Follow us on:   LinkedIn    YouTube    Instagram    X