On October 14th, AI-EFFECT participated in an online AI Roundtable hosted together with EnergyGuard, EnerTEF, EPRI Europe, and the European Commission. The event included contributions from Arenko, EDF, and Enline, and representation from grid operations, renewable generation, demand-side actors, power supply, and industrial optimisation. The European Commission opened with its Strategic Roadmap for AI in Energy, outlining infrastructure and collaboration initiatives built around Testing and Experimentation Facilities.
The roundtable was structured into three sessions. The first focused on data exchange for AI foundation models. The second addressed development, training, testing, and validation of AI models, moderated by Gianluca Lipari from AI-EFFECT, and included a discussion on how TEFs can be improved to operate on larger scales. The third examined large-scale deployment of AI models.
Participants agreed that scaling AI in the energy sector requires overcoming data fragmentation, regulatory uncertainty, and trust gaps. A shared leadership model was proposed in which the European Commission empowers system operators, startups, and experienced companies. AI Factories and TEFs were identified as platforms to support AI development and deployment through structured and secure methods. With funding, governance, and collaboration, TEFs can enable Europe to advance toward a more efficient and secure energy system.
For AI-EFFECT, the roundtable reinforced its role in shaping the use of TEFs and contributing expertise in model development and validation, supporting the collective effort to accelerate AI adoption in the energy sector.
