AI power demands are rising, and so are attacks on utilities. Here’s what they can do about it.

AI is changing the world as we know it. From powering the development of autonomous vehicles, to driving breakthroughs in healthcare and medicine, to enhancing decision-making and productivity for businesses, AI has proven its value many times over. 

But there’s no AI without power, and the technology has a massive appetite for energy. In fact, Goldman Sachs Research predicts that data center power usage will increase by 160% by 2030 due to AI’s sky-high energy requirements. While this spike in demand creates exciting new opportunities for utilities, it also makes them a prime target for both physical and cyberattacks.

Earlier this year, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation warned that U.S. power grids are becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks, with “the number of susceptible points in electrical networks increasing by about 60 per day.” Physical attacks are on the rise too, as “power grid operators identified 200 instances of vandalism, suspicious activity, sabotage, or physical attacks” on energy substations last year. 

Utility companies need to get ahead of these threats now, because the impact of a widespread attack could be devastating — think power outages that disrupt critical infrastructure like hospitals, severe economic loss, and, most concerningly, the potential threat to public safety and national security.

Utilities’ preparedness for such scenarios varies, but there is a general urgent need for stronger security measures as these companies increasingly partner with large cloud providers and systems integrators. While some utility companies have taken a proactive approach by investing in AI and other advanced technologies to detect and respond to threats more effectively, they are not the majority.

Furthermore, many utilities rely on aging, legacy infrastructure — both virtual and physical — that leaves them vulnerable. The average age of electrical infrastructure in the U.S. is forty — with 25% of the grid being fifty-plus years old — and many still use decades-old IT systems.

Let’s explore how utilities can safeguard against the heightened risk of attacks as they power the next wave of AI innovation. 

To read the complete article, visit Utility Dive.