Shaping grid infrastructure: The dual force of energy resilience and sustainability

The conversation in boardrooms and government offices has broadened. While sustainability remains key, there's an additional priority emerging – resilience. 

Our brand-new Siemens Infrastructure Transition Monitor 2025 (ITM) shows that there has been significant progress in the energy transition over the last two years. 61% of organizations have detailed plans in place how to reach their decarbonization targets, up from 47% in 2023. What is new is that senior leaders believe a resilient energy supply should be the top governmental priority among infrastructure goals.

But, why now? 

The perfect storm 

The geopolitical landscape has never been so turbulent. Global tensions disrupt supply chains overnight. Extreme weather events knock out power for days or weeks. Market volatility sends energy prices swinging wildly. And demand is increasing at a faster rate than anyone predicted. 

Critical infrastructure wasn’t built for this. It was designed for predictability, stability and steady growth. Today's reality is anything but. 

Energy independence and climate risk management have jumped five places in terms of priority since 2023. Leaders are no longer exclusively asking "how do we reduce our carbon footprint?" They're also asking, "How do we keep the lights on when everything is so unstable?" 

 Why resilience matters  

Sustainability goals mean nothing if grids can't handle a heatwave, a cyberattack, or a geopolitical crisis. 

Future critical infrastructure must respond in real time to climate, market and demand volatility. This means designing systems that thrive amid constant change, especially as renewable energy deployment increases. 

For businesses, the stakes couldn't be higher. Downtime costs money. Unreliable power damages operations. Price instability destroys budgets. In a global economy, energy resilience is a competitive advantage. 

The intelligence gap 

Of the 1,400 global executives surveyed for ITM 2025, there is a clear disconnect between desire and practicality: 64% see electrification as the most feasible path to net zero, but 61% admit grid infrastructure isn't ready for it. 

The solution? Investment and intelligence. A striking 74% of respondents now believe smart grids are not just helpful, but crucial enablers of the energy transition. Digitalization provides visibility, adaptability, and speed. 

Smart grids give operators the ability to monitor, predict, and manage electricity flow with precision. When a storm approaches, the system adjusts. When solar production peaks, it redistributes. When demand surges unexpectedly, it responds instantly. 

Countries are developing strategies to improve grid stability through interconnections and advanced control centers. Regional networks – like the Gulf Cooperation Council's system linking six Middle Eastern nations – enable electricity exchange during peak demand or outages. In the UAE, a new national advanced control center – developed with us – integrates all local utilities onto a single platform, enabling real-time coordination of renewables, enhanced load forecasting, and stronger energy security. 

AI: building resilience at scale 

Once a grid is sufficiently digitized and integrated, operators can harness more advanced technologies, such as AI, to further improve resilience.  The data backs this up – 75% of energy executives agree that AI makes infrastructure more resilient. And they're supporting that belief with investment – 76% are investing in data integration and 63% in digital technologies to manage grid complexity. 

AI doesn't just make systems smarter; it makes them adaptive, learning from each disruption and strengthening over time. 

The autonomous advantage 

More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents believe autonomous systems in power grids will play a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These systems deliver three key benefits: lower operating costs, increased energy efficiency, and increased reliability. 

Perhaps most encouraging, 62% believe their region is ready to implement autonomous systems now. The technology exists. The business case is clear. The only question is the speed of deployment. 

The era of resilience 

Resilience has become the number one priority because businesses understand you can't decarbonize what you can't keep running. 

Energy security, stability, and resilience aren't obstacles to the energy transition; they're its foundation. Organizations investing in intelligent, adaptive energy systems today won't just survive future uncertainties; they'll outperform competitors relying on legacy infrastructure. 

The era of resilience has arrived. Is your energy strategy ready? 

Read our full ITM report and find out more about the evolving state of the infrastructure transition over time, highlighting urgent priorities and outlining the path forward for business and government leaders.

© Copyright Siemens AG