Hitachi Energy and AWS strategic collaboration accelerates innovation in the cloud and advances the energy transition

• Cloud-based AI vegetation management solution enhances grid efficiency and reliability
• The average annual U.S. utility spends $27M on vegetation management; over 50% of utilities say that is insufficient1
• Hitachi Energy and AWS to collaborate on asset and work management software delivery, offering innovative solutions to address rising energy system complexity

Hitachi Energy, has signed a multi-year strategic collaboration agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate how utility and energy-intensive companies deploy cloud-based solutions and advance the energy transition.

The initial focus of the agreement delivers Hitachi Vegetation Manager, an artificial intelligence(AI)-driven vegetation management system, on AWS. This innovative solution aims to significantly reduce power or system outages caused by vegetation interference with critical infrastructure.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, vegetation-related impacts to the power system are the most common cause of power outages in the U.S., accounting for more than 20% of incidents². Vegetation-related disruptions also present substantial operational challenges and high maintenance costs for power line and rail operators.

Hitachi Vegetation Manager, a closed-loop digital vegetation management system, leverages a powerful combination of AI, satellite imagery, and real-time weather forecasts to deliver predictive insights that help customers proactively identify and mitigate vegetation interference and risks. By predicting potential threats before they cause outages, the system is built to drastically reduce downtime, enhance service reliability, and lower maintenance expenditures.

“Our focus goes beyond manufacturing and installation of advanced grid technology.  We also deliver a diverse portfolio of core digital solutions, like Hitachi Vegetation Manager, to ensure energy systems run at peak performance. The grid is becoming more complex with the addition of renewables, as well as increasing demand for electrification driven by AI, EVs, and beyond,” said Massimo Danieli, Managing Director, Grid Automation for Hitachi Energy. “Our collaboration with AWS now allows us to harness the power of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, making this technology readily accessible to operators worldwide.”

Hitachi and AWS are building on prior collaborations. Most recently, Hitachi Energy and AWS successfully delivered a cloud-based network management solution for Conduit Power, slashing deployment time from 18 to 6 months. 

“As the energy industry continues to undergo massive transformation, the cloud offers tangible opportunities for utility, rail, and energy companies to optimize operations, improve reliability and resiliency, and scale and maximize investments,” said Howard Gefen, GM for Energy and Utilities at AWS. “Working with Hitachi Energy, first on the collaboration for Conduit Power and now through the SCA, demonstrates the power and capabilities of the cloud to scale solutions and evolve with organizations, accelerate innovation, and deliver exceptional value to our shared customers.”

The SCA includes a framework for the two companies to deliver additional solutions from Hitachi Energy’s asset and work management solutions portfolio in AWS Marketplace. The collaboration agreement leverages AWS’s robust cloud infrastructure to ensure seamless scalability, ease of use, and rapid deployment of Hitachi Energy’s software solutions. Operators can effortlessly access powerful predictive analytics, and other workforce management solutions, enabling more informed decision-making and efficient execution of critical operations.

This strategic collaboration underscores Hitachi Energy’s ongoing commitment to advance digital transformation in the energy sector, maximize the integration of renewable energy, and ensure uninterrupted, reliable power delivery globally.

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1. The Cost of (Not) Cutting Trees | American Public Power Association
2. Vegetation Management: Resilience Investment Guide | U.S. Department of Energy, Grid Deployment Office