Itron Collaborates with Microsoft to Enhance Utility Operations with Generative AI
Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) announces collaboration with Microsoft to integrate generative AI Copilot technology into its Intelligent Edge Operating System (IEOS). The enhanced platform, available globally in Q2 2025, will enable utilities to access data through natural language queries, streamlining operations across electricity, gas, and water distribution systems.
The AI-powered platform, built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, will initially be implemented in Itron's IEE Meter Data Management System and Operations Optimizer. Key benefits include improved customer consumption analysis, validation rule insights, accelerated innovation, and comprehensive data access across departments.
The solution addresses a significant industry challenge, as 43% of utilities cite lack of expertise as the main hurdle to AI implementation. The platform requires no technical coding skills, making advanced analytics accessible to utility operators without data science expertise.
Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) annuncia una collaborazione con Microsoft per integrare la tecnologia di intelligenza artificiale generativa Copilot nel suo Sistema Operativo Intelligente Edge (IEOS). La piattaforma potenziata, disponibile a livello globale nel secondo trimestre del 2025, consentirà alle utility di accedere ai dati tramite query in linguaggio naturale, semplificando le operazioni nei sistemi di distribuzione di elettricità, gas e acqua.
La piattaforma alimentata dall'IA, costruita sul Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, sarà inizialmente implementata nel Sistema di Gestione Dati dei Contatori IEE di Itron e nell'Ottimizzatore delle Operazioni. I principali vantaggi includono un'analisi migliorata del consumo dei clienti, approfondimenti sulle regole di validazione, innovazione accelerata e accesso completo ai dati tra i vari reparti.
La soluzione affronta una significativa sfida del settore, poiché il 43% delle utility cita la mancanza di competenze come il principale ostacolo all'implementazione dell'IA. La piattaforma non richiede competenze di codifica tecnica, rendendo le analisi avanzate accessibili agli operatori delle utility senza esperienza in scienze dei dati.
Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) anuncia una colaboración con Microsoft para integrar la tecnología de inteligencia artificial generativa Copilot en su Sistema Operativo Inteligente Edge (IEOS). La plataforma mejorada, que estará disponible globalmente en el segundo trimestre de 2025, permitirá a las empresas de servicios acceder a datos a través de consultas en lenguaje natural, optimizando las operaciones en los sistemas de distribución de electricidad, gas y agua.
La plataforma impulsada por IA, construida sobre el Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, se implementará inicialmente en el Sistema de Gestión de Datos de Medidores IEE de Itron y en el Optimizador de Operaciones. Los principales beneficios incluyen un análisis mejorado del consumo del cliente, información sobre reglas de validación, innovación acelerada y acceso integral a los datos en todos los departamentos.
La solución aborda un desafío significativo en la industria, ya que el 43% de las empresas de servicios cita la falta de experiencia como el principal obstáculo para la implementación de la IA. La plataforma no requiere habilidades de codificación técnica, lo que hace que el análisis avanzado sea accesible para los operadores de servicios sin experiencia en ciencia de datos.
Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI)는 Microsoft와 협력하여 생성적 AI Copilot 기술을 지능형 엣지 운영 체제(IEOS)에 통합한다고 발표했습니다. 향상된 플랫폼은 2025년 2분기에 전 세계적으로 제공되며, 유틸리티가 자연어 쿼리를 통해 데이터에 접근할 수 있도록 하여 전기, 가스 및 수도 배급 시스템의 운영을 간소화할 것입니다.
Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service를 기반으로 구축된 AI 기반 플랫폼은 Itron의 IEE 미터 데이터 관리 시스템 및 운영 최적화기에 처음으로 구현될 것입니다. 주요 이점으로는 고객 소비 분석 개선, 검증 규칙 통찰력, 혁신 가속화 및 부서 간 포괄적인 데이터 접근이 포함됩니다.
이 솔루션은 43%의 유틸리티가 AI 구현의 주요 장애물로 전문 지식 부족을 꼽고 있는 업계의 중요한 문제를 해결합니다. 이 플랫폼은 기술 코딩 기술이 필요하지 않아 데이터 과학 전문 지식이 없는 유틸리티 운영자도 고급 분석을 이용할 수 있게 합니다.
Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) annonce une collaboration avec Microsoft pour intégrer la technologie d'intelligence artificielle générative Copilot dans son Système d'Exploitation Intelligent Edge (IEOS). La plateforme améliorée, disponible mondialement au deuxième trimestre 2025, permettra aux services publics d'accéder aux données via des requêtes en langage naturel, rationalisant ainsi les opérations dans les systèmes de distribution d'électricité, de gaz et d'eau.
La plateforme alimentée par l'IA, construite sur le Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, sera initialement mise en œuvre dans le Système de Gestion des Données de Compteurs IEE d'Itron et l'Optimiseur d'Opérations. Les principaux avantages incluent une analyse améliorée de la consommation des clients, des informations sur les règles de validation, une innovation accélérée et un accès complet aux données entre les départements.
La solution répond à un défi important de l'industrie, car 43 % des services publics citent le manque d'expertise comme le principal obstacle à l'implémentation de l'IA. La plateforme ne nécessite aucune compétence technique en programmation, rendant l'analyse avancée accessible aux opérateurs de services publics sans expertise en science des données.
Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) kündigt eine Zusammenarbeit mit Microsoft an, um die generative KI-Copilot-Technologie in sein Intelligent Edge Operating System (IEOS) zu integrieren. Die verbesserte Plattform, die im zweiten Quartal 2025 weltweit verfügbar sein wird, ermöglicht es Versorgungsunternehmen, auf Daten über natürliche Sprachabfragen zuzugreifen und die Abläufe in den Verteilungssystemen für Elektrizität, Gas und Wasser zu optimieren.
Die KI-gestützte Plattform, die auf dem Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service basiert, wird zunächst im Itron IEE Meter Data Management System und im Operations Optimizer implementiert. Zu den wichtigsten Vorteilen gehören eine verbesserte Analyse des Kundenverbrauchs, Einblicke in Validierungsregeln, beschleunigte Innovation und umfassender Datenzugang über Abteilungen hinweg.
Die Lösung adressiert eine bedeutende Herausforderung in der Branche, da 43 % der Versorgungsunternehmen mangelnde Fachkenntnisse als das Haupthindernis für die Implementierung von KI angeben. Die Plattform erfordert keine technischen Programmierkenntnisse, wodurch fortschrittliche Analysen für Versorgungsbetreiber ohne Erfahrung in Datenwissenschaften zugänglich werden.
- Strategic partnership with Microsoft enhances product offering
- New AI integration addresses major industry pain point (43% of utilities lack AI expertise)
- Platform launch in Q2 2025 opens new revenue opportunities
- Solution requires no technical coding skills, increasing potential market adoption
- Product not available until Q2 2025, allowing competitors time to develop similar solutions
Insights
Itron's Microsoft partnership represents a strategic technology advancement in the utility data management space. By integrating Microsoft's Copilot generative AI into their Intelligent Edge Operating System (IEOS), Itron is addressing a critical gap in the utility industry - the 43% of utilities citing lack of AI expertise as their biggest hurdle to implementation.
This collaboration creates a significant competitive advantage by democratizing data access within utility operations. Rather than requiring specialized data scientists, the natural language interface will allow everyday utility workers to extract actionable insights from complex operational data across electricity, gas, water, and renewable energy systems.
The Q2 2025 global rollout positions Itron at the forefront of the utility digital transformation trend. While competitors offer point solutions for specific utility challenges, Itron's approach creates an integrated AI-powered ecosystem spanning meter data management, network operations, and customer usage analysis.
Importantly, this enhancement builds on Itron's existing platform rather than requiring new infrastructure investment from utilities. This should accelerate adoption among Itron's existing customer base while potentially expanding their market reach to utilities struggling with data silos and operational inefficiencies.
The Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service integration also addresses security concerns that have historically made utilities cautious about cloud adoption, potentially removing another adoption barrier for Itron's solutions.
This Microsoft partnership significantly strengthens Itron's position in the rapidly evolving utility data management landscape. The market has been searching for solutions that bridge the gap between massive amounts of grid edge data and actionable operational insights - this collaboration directly addresses that need.
What makes this particularly valuable for utilities is the focus on cross-departmental data integration. Traditionally, utilities operate in information silos where renewable energy, metering, and billing teams can't easily share insights. The natural language interface will allow pulling insights across these boundaries without complex integration projects.
The timing is particularly strategic as utilities face unprecedented pressures to manage distributed energy resources. With the accelerating adoption of residential solar, storage, and EV charging infrastructure, utilities need exactly these types of tools to maintain grid reliability while optimizing renewable integration.
Looking at specific functionalities, the customer consumption analysis capability addresses a major pain point for utilities - identifying outlier usage patterns that indicate either conservation opportunities or potential system issues. Similarly, the validation rule insights functionality directly targets meter data quality problems that plague utility operations.
While the full deployment timeline extends to Q2 2025, this partnership positions Itron to capitalize on the increasing utility focus on operational efficiency and grid flexibility driven by renewable integration challenges.
Natural Language Queries on Itron’s Intelligent Edge Operating System to Significantly Improve Data Access
LIBERTY LAKE, Wash., March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating new ways for utilities and cities to manage energy and water, is working with Microsoft to enhance the way utilities access data across their business operations, leading the utility industry with Grid Edge Intelligence. The companies are integrating Microsoft’s generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) Copilot technology into Itron’s Intelligent Edge Operating System (IEOS), a global data platform, to enable utilities to use natural language queries to request information previously only available to their data scientists. Utilities will be able to more easily access essential data and insights needed to accelerate decision-making, increase innovation and manage repetitive tasks and queries quickly. The integrated solution will be available globally during the second quarter of 2025.
Serving as a virtual assistant to utility operators, the AI-powered platform will allow utilities to access advanced analytics for electricity, gas and water distribution devices, as well as distributed energy resources such as wind, solar and battery storage. The collaboration will enable rich database queries with access to extensive data pools, leading to improved outcomes. Built and running on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence solutions ensure secure data processing at the grid edge. Initial applications that will use the AI-powered platform are Itron’s IEE Meter Data Management System and Operations Optimizer to enable common inquiries about metering, network and customer electricity usage.
With the power of Gen AI, utilities will be able to query the platform to obtain the information they need, providing holistic answers and comprehensive insights. Equipped with natural language queries, IEOS with Microsoft Copilot will understand, interpret and generate questions and answers in a way that feels natural and intuitive. This will enable utilities and cities to improve and streamline their operations while offering a host of other key benefits, including:
- Customer Consumption Analysis: AI improves the ability to identify customers with unusual consumption patterns, such as super-users, and enables targeted behavioral programs, improving customer satisfaction.
- Validation Rule Insights: AI can identify which validation rules fail most frequently, aiding in system improvements.
- Accelerate Innovation: The platform will reduce the time it takes to roll out new advanced analytics applications to see the benefits of new components as they plug into the platform.
- Comprehensive Data Access: AI enables users to access and analyze data across the Itron Enterprise Edition Meter Data Management solution, distributed intelligence applications and other sources on the Itron IEOS.
- Cross-Departmental Queries: Users can ask questions or create charts that require data from multiple departments, such as distributed energy resource holdings, billing data and grid topology data.
- Natural Language Reporting: AI can generate reports, charts and graphs from any data hosted on IEOS using natural language prompts. For example, users can ask, “Show me load anomalies over the past seven days for these addresses,” or “What was the peak energy usage last month?” and receive accurate, comprehensive responses.
- Data Quality Improvement: AI provides suggestions and feedback to enhance data quality, accuracy, and analysis.
By using AI, IEOS transforms complex data interactions into simple, intuitive processes, significantly boosting operational efficiency and decision-making capabilities.
The biggest hurdle to implementing AI is a lack of expertise in this area, cited by
“With Gen AI, you don’t need to be a data scientist to generate reports and obtain the insights necessary for efficient operations. IEOS will be able to do this for you – pulling reports and analytics all within a single platform that leverages detailed data at the grid edge,” said Don Reeves, senior vice president of Outcomes at Itron. “With this collaboration, IEOS will enable utilities and cities to take advantage of the power of generative AI to boost efficiency, unlock creativity and enhance data management. We believe that IEOS will enhance the value and functionality of our solutions and help our customers achieve their goals of energy and water management, sustainability and innovation.”
“Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio is used by cities and leading utilities to prepare for the rise of distributed renewable energy resources,” said Darryl Willis, Microsoft CVP, Energy & Resources Industry. “Integrating Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Copilot with IEOS enables easy-access to siloed data residing in multiple systems across the organization, accelerating data-driven insights and actions to optimize grid operations.”
Availability
The integrated platform will be available by Q2, 2025, globally.
Learn More at DISTRIBUTECH 2025
To learn more, visit Itron at DISTRIBUTECH 2025, March 25-27, in booth #3008.
About Itron
Itron is a proven global leader in energy, water, smart city, IIoT and intelligent infrastructure services. For utilities, cities and society, we build innovative systems, create new efficiencies, connect communities, encourage conservation and increase resourcefulness. By safeguarding our invaluable natural resources today and tomorrow, we improve the quality of life for people around the world. Join us: www.itron.com.
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FAQ
When will Itron's AI-enhanced IEOS platform with Microsoft Copilot be available?
What are the main benefits of Itron's new AI-powered IEOS platform for utilities?
How does Itron's IEOS integration with Microsoft Copilot improve utility operations?
Which Itron systems will initially implement the Microsoft AI integration?
