Historically, utilities had limited visibility beyond the substation, relying on outdated models about grid behavior at the edge. This gap between operational technology (OT in the field) and information technology (IT in the control center) made it hard to detect outages or inefficiencies quickly and to integrate new distributed energy resources (DERs) smoothly. Bridging that gap is crucial for real-time insights and smarter utilities. 

Real-Time Intelligence at the Grid Edge 
Thanks to an intelligent edge approach, utilities can now connect the grid from sensor to cloud, enabling instant awareness and action. Itron’s latest smart endpoints and grid devices are equipped with distributed intelligence (DI), and when integrated with Microsoft Azure IoT and Edge, they empower utilities to act in real time. 

Made possible by a recent collaboration between Itron, Schneider Electric and Microsoft, DI-enabled meters at the grid edge now stream real-time data – including customer DER output from beyond the transformer - directly into control systems. This high-bandwidth, low-latency integration allows utilities to detect outages or voltage anomalies and respond within seconds rather than hours, significantly improving reliability and operational efficiency. It also introduces an innovative way to manage behind-the-meter resources – for example, orchestrating EV chargers or rooftop solar systems without relying on customers’ home internet connections. 

Beyond reliability, this edge-to-cloud link helps address capacity challenges. By leveraging a “non-wires” approach (data and analytics instead of new hardware), utilities can boost existing grid capacity by up to 20% while keeping equipment within safe operating limits. As Don Reeves, Itron’s senior vice president, Outcomes, noted, near-real-time measurements and analytics extend “observability of system loading and performance all the way to the customer premise”. 

AI and Analytics: Turning Data into Insights 
Collecting data is only half the battle—making sense of it is the other half. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) and unified analytics come in. Microsoft and Itron have teamed up to integrate Azure’s generative AI (Copilot) into Itron’s Intelligent Edge Operating System (IEOS). In practice, this gives utility personnel a virtual assistant for their data. Instead of writing SQL queries or combing through spreadsheets, an engineer or operator can simply ask a question in natural language – “Which neighborhoods had the biggest voltage fluctuations today?” – and the system will sift through the data and provide the answer. 

The AI leverages natural language queries to pull information that was previously in siloes or accessible only to data scientists. This democratizes analytics: staff without deep IT expertise can get insights, create charts or generate reports just by asking. In fact, lack of AI skills has been a major hurdle for the industry (cited by 43% of utilities as a barrier). As Don Reeves explains, “With generative AI, you don’t need to be a data scientist to obtain the insights necessary for efficient operations. IEOS will do this for you”. 

Future-Ready Utilities: The HEDNO Example 
A compelling example of these principles in action is HEDNO, the power distribution operator in Greece. HEDNO is deploying Itron’s Enterprise Edition Meter Data Management Solution (IEE) and advanced metering to modernize its grid, including managing data from 7.7 million electric meters, nearly 1 million of which are new smart meters equipped with cellular IoT connectivity. 

As an existing Azure cloud user, HEDNO stands to benefit from Itron’s collaboration with Microsoft to integrate generative AI technologies, starting with Microsoft Azure OpenAI, part of Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry, into Itron’s IEOS. This integration ensures that as HEDNO’s new data comes online, they’ll be able to apply generative AI capabilities to enhance operational efficiency and strategic planning. 

The Road Ahead: Smarter Utilities Powered by Real-Time Insights 

From the grid to the cloud, connecting edge devices with cloud analytics and AI is unlocking real-time intelligence for utilities. This unified approach is breaking down the old IT/OT silos and enabling operators to see and act on issues as they happen. At Microsoft, we have seen how these capabilities are transforming utility operations – making them more resilient, efficient and ready for the new energy future. 

To learn more, please visit the Microsoft Industry blog.