Sponsored by: NTT Data | Powering the Grid: Southern Company, NTT DATA & Databricks' Modern Data & AI Foundation

Southern Company's Power Delivery, with NTT DATA and Databricks, is building a modern data and AI foundation for the utility grid of the future. This session features Shane Powell and Greg Stuhlman, sharing the evolution of their multi-year collaboration from early analytics modernization to a future Lakehouse-driven architecture. NTT DATA leveraged its global Databricks partnership to co-engineer utility-specific solutions. Recent successes include a modernized insights application reducing data load times from 15 minutes to under 3 seconds through redesigned data models, optimized compute, and modern React front end. The session explores AI readiness through improved data quality, governance, and lineage enabling intelligent grid applications, fleet safety, and AI forecasting while maintaining regulatory rigor. Attendees learn architectural decisions and lessons from building scalable data infrastructure for regulated enterprises.