Utility Infrastructure Advances with AI

Our energy infrastructure is close to failing—in fact, the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) puts our energy grade at a D+. Narrowing in, the U.S. power grid includes an estimated 180–200 million distribution poles, which often have a lifespan anywhere between 50 and 70 years. Here’s the challenge. As with most infrastructure here in the United States, many of them are aging, and many are located in regions increasingly exposed to extreme weather.

“Utilities need to make a difficult decision,” says Dominique Meyer, CEO of Looq AI. He says they ultimately need to decide whether these poles need to be replaced or not—and making that decision can cost a lot of time and money. Meyer tells me directly that North America’s distribution poles are even more substantial than earlier estimates, placing the total near 400 million.

No doubt, utilities are under mounting pressure ...