NTNU: New research initiative to develop AI systems for more resilient Nordic electricity grids

A new Nordic research initiative called AI4GRIDS will develop artificial intelligence tools to make electricity grids more resilient. The Novo Nordisk Foundation's Grand AI Challenge programme is backing it with up to €13.3 million over four years to establish the project.

The initiative is led by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), working with Lund University in Sweden and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). It brings together researchers from all three Nordic countries.

The aim is to give grid companies and system operators AI-based solutions that help them make better use of existing grid infrastructure, manage growing uncertainty, and keep the power supply resilient and sustainable. The context is an era of increasing electrification, which puts more pressure on how power systems are run. The project frames this as rethinking how future power systems are operated.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation describes AI as a key enabler of this effort. In its words, AI can help make critical decisions about how generation and demand should be balanced, making energy systems more robust and better prepared for future needs.

The significance lies in the emphasis on getting more out of the infrastructure already in place while demand for electricity grows and operating conditions become harder to predict. The funding gives a three-country university collaboration a four-year runway to build such tools for Nordic grid operators. The source gives no further detail on specific methods, deliverables or timelines beyond the funding period.