Powering Asia-Pacific’s energy future: AI and digital innovation for utilities

Accelerating Asia-Pacific’s energy transition

Asia-Pacific’s electric utility sector is undergoing rapid transformation. With nearly 5 billion people—the region accounts for more than half the world’s population,¹ half of global electricity consumption,² and three-quarters of the planet’s coal production and consumption.³ Rising urbanization, economic growth, and climate commitments are driving utilities to modernize infrastructure, expand energy access, and decarbonize grid operations.

At Enlit Asia 2025 in Bangkok earlier in September, more than 12,000 energy professionals gathered to explore these challenges and opportunities. As a proud sponsor, Microsoft—alongside its customers and partners—showcased how AI and digital technologies are helping utilities to build smarter, more resilient electricity networks.

By uniting AI, data, and cloud technologies, we’re committed to driving digital transformation and empowering the energy workforce across Asia-Pacific. Today, we’ll explore key trends shaping the region’s utilities and highlight solutions that are already powering the new energy future with AI.

Five trends shaping Asia-Pacific utilities

Asia-Pacific’s electric utility landscape is shaped by vast geographic diversity and varying levels of market maturity—from advanced economies like Japan and Australia to rapidly developing energy systems in Southeast Asia. Despite these differences, several shared trends are emerging that redefine how utilities plan, operate, and innovate across the region.

1. Population and demand growth

Asia-Pacific’s demographic scale continues to drive electricity demand. Utilities are under pressure to expand capacity, improve reliability, and add renewables—all while managing aging infrastructure and grid complexity.

2. Economic expansion and energy use

Global electricity demand rose by 4.3% in 2024, with continued growth projected through 2027.⁴ Developing economies account for around 85% of additional global electricity demand, with China providing more than half of these gains.⁴ Southeast Asia also remains a key driver with strong industrial and commercial momentum. This growth is tightly linked to gross domestic product (GDP) performance, with emerging markets—primarily in Asia-Pacific, projected to average 4.06% GDP growth through 2035.⁵

3. Carbon intensity and fossil fuel dependence

Coal remains dominant, accounting for 57% of the region’s electricity generation in 2022.⁶ Asia-Pacific has the highest carbon dioxide intensity globally—590g CO₂/kWh versus the global average of 460g CO₂/kWh.⁶ Interest in nuclear and small modular reactors has risen sharply in recent years, as utilities explore low-carbon baseload generation sources.

4. Renewable energy expansion

In the next three years, low-emissions generation is set to rise at twice the annual growth rate between 2018 and 2023.⁷ Solar, wind, and hydro investments are accelerating, supported by policy reforms and regional power trade initiatives.

5. Grid modernization and decentralization

Utilities are investing in smarter grids to accommodate Distributed energy resources (DERs), electric vehicles (EVs), and digital technologies. The shift from centralized to decentralized generation is reshaping utility operations, requiring new approaches to cybersecurity, forecasting, and customer engagement.

Microsoft’s global energy partnerships and powering the new energy future with AI

Microsoft is partnering with leading utilities and technology providers across the region to deliver AI and digital solutions that address operational, regulatory, and grid modernization challenges.

Here are five examples of how we’re helping energy organizations transform:

1. Enterprise knowledge advisor for power plant operations

In partnership with JERA, Japan’s largest power generator, Microsoft helped deploy an AI-powered enterprise knowledge advisor to enhance thermal plant efficiency. Using generative AI, the solution surfaces insights from historical data and maintenance logs, allowing for faster decision-making, predictive maintenance, and real-time troubleshooting.

2. Generative AI for permitting

Permitting clean energy projects can take years and cost millions of dollars. Microsoft’s generative AI for Energy Permitting Solution Accelerator automates document drafting, regulatory analysis, and pre-submission reviews. The solution generates complete environmental filings ready for human refinement—reducing time, cost, and complexity across multiple regulatory environments.

3. Distributed energy resources management (DERM) with Schneider Electric and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)

Together with Schneider Electric and PG&E, Microsoft enables advanced DERMS to orchestrate solar, battery, and EV infrastructure. The joint solution adds Schneider’s advanced distribution management system (ADMS) and Azure AI to optimize DER participation, forecast grid conditions, and support wholesale market operations. The Grid AI Assistant provides operators with real-time guidance and AI-powered resolution strategies.

4. Visual anomaly detection and predictive maintenance

Microsoft’s multimodal generative AI orchestration (MGO) framework combines image recognition, sensor data, and historical records to detect anomalies in grid assets. Energy companies in Asia have deployed this solution to reduce safety incidents, improve response times, and enhance asset reliability—supporting both field crews and control room operators.

5. AI for forecasting and decision support

AI-powered forecasting and decision management solutions are helping utilities in Asia-Pacific streamline operations across asset management, trading desks, and customer engagement. These solutions include advanced renewable forecasting to reduce curtailment and avoid regulatory penalties, generative AI trading platforms to make better-informed decisions in dynamic wholesale markets, and behind-the-meter load management platforms to optimize demand-side resources.

Shaping the future of energy

As Asia-Pacific utilities face rising demand and decarbonization pressures, Microsoft is proud to partner with industry leaders to deliver scalable, secure, and intelligent solutions. From optimizing plant operations to streamlining permitting and managing DERs, our technologies are helping utilities unlock new value and accelerate the energy transition. Together, let’s power the new energy future with AI.

Learn how Microsoft can support your organization’s journey

• Watch our latest webinar, AI for Grid Operations: Smarter Planning and Modeling with Microsoft and ThinkLabs, on demand.
• Read Microsoft’s Work Trend Index Annual Report, 2025: The year the Frontier Firm is born.
• Listen to Darryl Willis, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Energy and Resources Industry, most recent podcast episode with EPRI Chief Executive Officer Arshad Mansoor.
• Listen to the EPRI Current Podcast with Bilal Khursheed: The Inflection Point: Accelerating Efficiency with AI.
• Explore the possibilities of AI transformation with Microsoft.
• Visit Microsoft for Energy and Resources.
• Read the new International Energy Agency report, Energy and AI.
• Learn more about Microsoft Security for Enterprise.

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¹ Population and Development Data, Demographic Changes in Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP
² International Renewable Energy Agency, Asia and Pacific
³ “Asia digs up and burns three-quarters of the world’s coal,” The Economist, April 22, 2019
⁴ Demand, Electricity 2025 Analysis, IEA
⁵ “Emerging Markets: A Decisive Decade,” S&P Global, October 16, 2024
⁶ “Coal dominates Asia Pacific’s generation mix in 2022,” Asian Power
⁷ Executive summary, Electricity 2024 Analysis, IEA

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Source: Microsoft Industry Blog