target audience: TECH BUYER  Publication date: Oct 2024 - Document type: IDC FutureScape - Doc  Document number: # US51330824

IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Utilities 2025 Predictions

By: 

  • Gaia Gallotti Loading
  • Jean-François Segalotto Loading
  • John Villali Loading
  • Angela Salmeron Loading

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Table of Contents


  • IDC FutureScape Figure

    • Figure: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Utilities 2025 Top 10 Predictions

  • Executive Summary

  • IDC FutureScape Predictions

    • Summary of External Drivers

    • Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers

    • Prediction 1: In 2028, 60% of water companies will use advanced subseasonal forecasting services to predict the impact of weather events on demand with up to 97% accuracy to support supply and maintenance planning.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 2: In 2025, to counteract grid congestion bottlenecks caused by booming electrification, 45% of utilities will automate network connection requests, reducing wait times for customers by half.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 3: By end-2029, 75% of developed power markets will implement grid-scale battery energy storage systems, reducing black start cost and emissions from traditional peaking units by 80% and 60% respectively.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 4: By 2027, 55% of transmission system operators will have deployed robots for perimeter control and asset inspection in demanding environments, reducing cost by up to 90% and halving time to repair.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 5: By 2026, 50% of gas utilities will implement wearables and other lone-worker safety technology, helping workers perform tasks more safely and efficiently and reducing field accidents by at least 25%.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 6: By 2029, up to 65% of cloud infrastructure electricity demand will be supplied with hourly carbon-free energy, offsetting 90% of increased emissions from growing workload demand, including from AI.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 7: By end of 2029, 50% of energy suppliers in advanced markets will offer dynamic pricing tariffs for EVs, unleashing vehicle-to-grid flexibility worth 10% to 15% of their total power system flexibility.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 8: By 2029, 55% of utilities will leverage GenAI in their integrated resource planning and the design of energy infrastructure projects, reducing project planning time and costs by 50%.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 9: By 2027, 60% of utilities will provide AI-driven energy management, supporting C&I customers' energy transition strategies, orchestrating loads and production, and cutting average energy bills by 30%.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

    • Prediction 10: By 2028, 70% of utilities will have invested in digital customer engagement systems and applications, increasing customer program offerings and increasing non-commodity revenues by 100%.

    • Associated Drivers

    • IT Impact

    • Guidance

  • Advice for Technology Buyers

  • External Drivers: Detail

    • AI-Driven Business Models — Moving from AI Experimentation to Monetization

    • The Drive to Automate — Toward a Data-Driven Future

    • Future-Proofing Against Environmental Risks — ESG Operationalization and Risk Management

    • AI-Driven Workplace Transformation — Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today

    • Responsible and Human-Centric Technology — Ethics in the Enterprise

    • Customer Experience Squared — Consumer and Citizen Expectations for Digital Services

  • Learn More

    • Related Research