SwitchedOn Australia

SwitchedOn podcast: How will the data industry control the future of clean energy?

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What if the clean energy transition is ultimately led not by utilities or renewable energy companies, but by the data and AI industry?

Luis F. Gonzalez, Chief Data and AI Officer at Aboitiz Power, argues that as data and energy become more intertwined, it will be the data sector that finances, shapes and champions decarbonisation. He says AI doesn’t just consume electricity — it changes the economics of who builds and controls energy infrastructure. 

And although he doesn’t want Face Book to run our power grids, he argues the only type of company capable of massive data brokerage for millions of consumer energy resources is a data company. 

While openly optimistic about the benefits of intelligence-driven systems, he also acknowledges the risks of monopoly power and that energy regulators are not yet ready for what’s to come.

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

Anne Delaney

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

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