Schneider Electric announces multi-year initiative in AI-native ecosystem for sustainability and energy management

Rhea-AI Summary

Schneider Electric (SBGSF) has announced a significant multi-year initiative to develop an AI-native ecosystem for sustainability and energy management. The initiative centers on Agentic AI technology, designed to work independently or collaboratively with clients and consultants. The company has appointed Julien Picaud as Head of Product Management to lead this initiative.

The ecosystem will integrate core functionality from existing platforms and new features from EcoAct acquisition, including decarbonization strategy, emissions management, and climate risk assessment. The initiative builds on Schneider's track record in AI innovation, including Resource Advisor Copilot, 18+ AI patents, and a partnership with Nvidia for sustainable data center infrastructure.

Positive

• Strategic investment in AI technology positions the company at the forefront of sustainability and energy management innovation
• Integration of EcoAct acquisition expands service offerings and capabilities
• Strong foundation with proven AI track record, including 18+ patents and $15M in optimization savings
• Strategic partnership with Nvidia enhances data center infrastructure capabilities

Negative

• Significant investment required for multi-year AI initiative development
• Potential high energy consumption associated with AI infrastructure
• Implementation and integration challenges with existing systems

• Initiative will build a category-defining, agentic AI ecosystem empowering collaborative intelligence to drive market-leading outcomes & experiences
• Reinforces company's leading position at the intersection of digital innovation, energy management, and sustainability
• Julien Picaud appointed as Head of Product Management

BOSTON, May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced a landmark multi-year initiative dedicated to building a new kind of integrated ecosystem for sustainability and energy management, backed by a significant growth model that represents the company's commitment to forward-thinking software and innovation. 

At the core of this initiative is an emerging artificial intelligence technology known as Agentic AI. These agents are a new kind of software designed to work independently or collaboratively with clients and consultants to anticipate needs and adapt to complex environments in real time, ushering in a new era of simplification and automation in sustainability. Conventional software has historically been used as a tool to help you perform tasks, while this initiative with embedded AI agents that can do work for you, demonstrates the paradigm-shifting nature of an AI-native, agentic software ecosystem.

The company's next-generation ecosystem will reimagine energy and sustainability management by serving as both the command center and coordination layer for strategy and decision-making. By embedding AI agents into adaptive workflows that seamlessly integrate with human experts and enterprise systems, it is set to transform disconnected sustainability efforts into an intelligent ecosystem that continuously optimizes outcomes and drives sustainable impact.

"Our vision is collaborative intelligence - agentic AI that works alongside human experts as a true digital teammate," explained Steve Wilhite, President of Schneider's Sustainability Business division. "This technology allows us to create a force multiplier effect where complex data analysis and tasks are automated, freeing our clients to focus on the strategic initiatives and innovations that lead to greater impact - a fundamental shift in how organizations can accelerate on their energy and decarbonization journeys." 

Schneider Electric has appointed Julien Picaud as Head of Product Management to lead this initiative. Picaud comes to Schneider Electric with a background in strategic leadership and product management, and a focus on digital innovation and AI-focused initiatives that enhance business performance and intelligent resource and emissions management. Picaud will spearhead the investment which will reimagine core functionality from the company's existing software platforms while debuting new features from the recent acquisition of leading sustainability firm EcoAct, including:

• Decarbonization Strategy
• Scenario Analysis
• Benchmarking
• Emissions Management
• Reporting & Compliance
• Climate Risk
• Value Chain Engagement
• Energy Management
• Resource Efficiency
• Data Integration, Automation, & Visualization
• Modernized User Experience

Schneider Electric is the world's leading provider of solutions for the energy transition and is backed by more than two decades of helping thousands of multinational corporations worldwide to achieve their energy and sustainability goals. This market-leading expertise underpins the new ecosystem and will enable clients to benefit from the company's breadth and depth, bringing together the very best in both human and artificial intelligence. "In specialized fields like energy and sustainability, agentic AI is only as effective as the depth of domain expertise embedded in its design," said Amy Cravens, Research Director, Sustainability and ESG Software, IDC. "Guided by decades of experience with a team of deep, domain-level consulting expertise, Schneider Electric is creating an agentic AI ecosystem that sets a new standard for sustainability management—equipping organizations to meet increasingly complex challenges. This next generation agentic AI will readily transform information management into actionable systems of the future."

Schneider Electric's globally recognized leadership in sustainability and ethics—ranked the World's Most Sustainable Company by Corporate Knights and a 14-time honoree as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies—provides a strong foundation for pursuing this investment responsibly. "Recognizing the energy intensity of AI, we are committed to developing and deploying this investment with a focus on computational efficiency and responsible resource usage.  By integrating the principles of frugal AI, we are designing systems that deliver maximum intelligence with minimal resource consumption. This means leveraging leaner models, efficient algorithms, and optimized infrastructure to reduce energy use, emissions, and costs without sacrificing performance." said Dan Whitsell, CTO and Head of Software Engineering for the Sustainability Business division.

The announcement builds upon the company's proven track record of AI innovation, spanning Resource Advisor Copilot for enterprise sustainability insights, a global AI hub saving $15M in optimization, 18+ AI patents, and a strategic partnership with Nvidia to prioritize efficiency and sustainability in data center infrastructure at scale.

Related resources: 

• Announcing our Vision and Investment in an Industry-First Sustainability Ecosystem

About Schneider Electric

Schneider's purpose is to create Impact by empowering all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. At Schneider, we call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be the trusted partner in Sustainability and Efficiency.

We are a global industrial technology leader bringing world-leading expertise in electrification, automation and digitalization to smart industries, resilient infrastructure, future-proof data centers, intelligent buildings, and intuitive homes. Anchored by our deep domain expertise, we provide integrated end-to-end lifecycle AI enabled Industrial IoT solutions with connected products, automation, software and services, delivering digital twins to enable profitable growth for our customers.

We are a people company with an ecosystem of 150,000 colleagues and more than a million partners operating in over 100 countries to ensure proximity to our customers and stakeholders. We embrace diversity and inclusion in everything we do, guided by our meaningful purpose of a sustainable future for all.

www.se.com

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Discover the newest perspectives shaping sustainability, electricity 4.0, and next-generation automation on Schneider Electric Insights.

Hashtags: #PressRelease #ESG #Sustainability #AgenticAI

 

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SOURCE Schneider Electric

FAQ

What is Schneider Electric's (SBGSF) new AI initiative about?

Schneider Electric is developing an AI-native ecosystem using Agentic AI technology for sustainability and energy management, designed to work independently or collaboratively with clients to optimize outcomes and drive sustainable impact.

Who is leading Schneider Electric's new AI initiative?

Julien Picaud has been appointed as Head of Product Management to lead the initiative, bringing experience in strategic leadership, product management, and AI-focused initiatives.

What features will Schneider Electric's new AI ecosystem include?

The ecosystem will include decarbonization strategy, scenario analysis, benchmarking, emissions management, climate risk assessment, value chain engagement, energy management, and resource efficiency features.

How is Schneider Electric addressing the energy consumption of its AI systems?

The company is focusing on computational efficiency and responsible resource usage through frugal AI principles, using leaner models, efficient algorithms, and optimized infrastructure to reduce energy use and emissions.

What is Schneider Electric's track record in AI innovation?

Schneider Electric has developed Resource Advisor Copilot, established a global AI hub saving $15M in optimization, holds 18+ AI patents, and maintains a strategic partnership with Nvidia for data center infrastructure.