‘AI and software can now help clients determine the return on investment of EcoStruxure, including the wattage, usage and the return on the energy costs,’ says Brad Bailleaux, vice president of sales for top Schneider Electric partner Lockstep Technology Group.
Schneider Electric is introducing a new AI-powered version of its popular EcoStruxure platform that is designed for the first time to manage energy, power and building systems.
The new EcoStruxure Foresight Operation platform was introduced on the first day of the company’s North American Innovation Summit in Las Vegas.
The $38 billion energy, power and cooling behemoth is touting the new platform—which will be available to early adopter customers in the third quarter next year—as a “transformative leap” forward in managing energy, power and building systems in the AI era.
Through AI and what the company calls “built-in multi-domain applications,” Schneider Electric said EcoStruxure Foresight Operation continuously learns, adapts and proactively resolves power and energy challenges before they arise.
Schneider Electric also said the new platform boosts operational efficiency by up to 50 percent by taking a unified approach to managing energy, power and building systems. That unified approach provides what the company calls “unprecedented control, visibility and predictive insight.”
Schneider Electric Vice President of U.S. Channels Gordon Lord said the new EcoStruxure Foresight Operation platform is an example of the software prowess the company is bringing to partners as it transforms into an energy technology provider.
“As Schneider transforms into an energy technology provider, we have to be software-defined,” he said. “Software is what’s going to get us to where we need to be with our customers.”
Schneider Electric partners, for their part, said they see the new EcoStruxure Foresight Operation platform as a major leap forward in unifying siloed energy, power and building systems.
John Mazur, president of Aerico, one of Schneider Electric’s top data center partners, told CRN that the new EcoStruxure Foresight Operation platform provides a major breakthrough in helping to manage all the complex disparate variables in a data center environment.
“It’s all siloed right now,” said Mazur. “There are different systems and different ways of doing the management. Once this gets built out, it’s going to provide big advantages [for data center operators].”
Today, managing complex data center environments with multiple UPSes, power and cooling is a herculean task for data center operators, said Mazur.
“The hardest thing is navigating all the different variables of the space, whether it is UPS, BMCs [Baseboard Management Controllers], the cooling—all of that comes into play for the operators of the building,” he said. “Nobody is a 100 percent expert. Having a platform like this is going to definitely help operators.”
Aerico expects to double its Schneider Electric sales this year in the wake of the increased demand for AI data centers. That includes data centers with hundreds of EcoStruxure racks, generating massive power and cooling requirements. “There is a lot of pressure,” Mazur said. “They want it quick, and they want it right.”
The gating factor to the AI data center buildout is the ability to bring the much-needed power into the facilities, said Mazur. “We can build it and supply the equipment, but you need to bring the raw power into the facility,” he said. “Now they are starting to look at alternatives like nuclear, solar and all other kinds of different avenues.”
Schneider Electric is stepping up to help customers get the appropriate power into the data center facilities, said Mazur. “They’ve always been a great resource for us,” he said.
Mazur said he is looking forward to seeing the latest and greatest innovation from Schneider Electric at the show. “I’m looking forward to seeing what’s behind the curtain, so to speak,” he said.
Brad Bailleaux, vice president of sales for Lockstep Technology Group, a top Schneider Electric partner, called the new EcoStruxure Foresight Operation platform a “huge game-changer” for customers.
“AI and software can now help clients determine the return on investment of EcoStruxure including the wattage, usage and the return on the energy costs,” he said. “Today it takes three different individuals to create that report. Schneider is bringing it all together into one easy-to-use platform so one person can understand the data. Using AI to give you the ROI is huge.”
Bailleaux said the new EcoStruxure platform will appeal not only to Fortune 1000, but also midmarket customers. “Those midmarket customers don’t have the resources to get this kind of information,” he said.
Bailleaux said he is looking forward to participating in the massive AI data center buildout working hand in hand with Schneider Electric. “AI cannot continue without hundreds of data centers being built in the next five years,” he said. “In the next three to five years, we expect our Schneider Electric business to grow tenfold. It has to happen. We’re learning about what Schneider has to offer so we can be a one-stop shop for our customers.”
