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ITRI & MSFT to Boost Utility Management With AI-Driven Intelligence
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Itron, Inc. (ITRI - Free Report) recently joined forces with Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) to unveil the power of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) to utilities and cities. The initiative aims to enhance data accessibility, optimize decision-making and improve operational efficiency by integrating Microsoft’s Copilot AI technology into Itron’s Intelligent Edge Operating System (IEOS).
Set to launch globally in the second quarter of 2025, this AI-fueled platform will act as a virtual assistant for utility operators, allowing them to access insights on metering, customer usage, network performance and distributed energy resources such as solar, wind and battery storage.
The IEOS platform forms the bedrock of Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence (GEI) solutions. These solutions, powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, are designed to securely process and analyze data at the edge of the grid, empowering utilities to access real-time insights directly from the field, leading to faster responses and smarter operations. The first applications that will utilize this AI-powered platform include Itron’s IEE Meter Data Management System and Operations Optimizer.
These applications will allow utility operators to make natural language queries, making it easier to obtain reports, analytics and insights without the need for advanced technical skills. Gen AI enables utilities to query the platform for the insights they need. With natural language capabilities, IEOS and Microsoft Copilot understand, interpret and respond intuitively.
Major Benefits of ITRI’s IEOS With Gen AI
With this collaboration, Itron’s GEI portfolio gains significant capabilities, allowing utilities and cities to improve service delivery, optimize resource management and enhance sustainability efforts. One of the most important benefits of AI-driven analytics is its ability to identify unusual consumption patterns, such as super-users, and implement targeted behavioral programs to help customers optimize their usage, leading to better customer satisfaction and improved energy conservation.
Data validation is a critical aspect of utility operations. With AI analyzing validation rules across utility networks, the platform can spot frequently failing rules, allowing system administrators to make necessary improvements. This leads to better data accuracy, reduced errors and more efficient operations. With IEOS, new components and analytics tools can be seamlessly plugged into the system, accelerating innovation and reducing the time needed to implement new capabilities.
The cutting-edge platform also enables utilities to access and analyze data across multiple sources, including Itron IEE Meter Data Management, distributed Intelligence applications and other integrated sources. In addition, with AI-embedded queries, users can easily pull data from various sources (distributed energy resource holdings, billing data and grid topology data) to create comprehensive reports and charts.
Furthermore, IEOS-Copilot integration can generate reports, charts and graphs using natural language commands. Also, AI not only analyzes data but offers recommendations and feedback to improve data quality, accuracy and analysis.
ITRI Empowers Utilities With AI-Focused Advancements
Despite the massive potential of AI-driven solutions, one of the biggest challenges for utilities has been the lack of expertise in AI and data analytics. According to industry reports, 43% of utilities cite a lack of AI expertise as a major barrier to adoption. However, Itron’s AI-driven IEOS eliminates this barrier by providing pre-integrated AI capabilities that do not require coding knowledge.
The company continues to keep pace with the fast-changing energy landscape by introducing innovative products with advanced AI features to help utilities tackle challenges while strengthening the company's long-term growth. Recently, it launched IntelliFLEX, a tool that seamlessly integrates DER aggregation, forecasting and AI-driven load balancing across advanced technologies.
Apart from this, it teamed up with NVIDIA to bring AI-powered solutions to the grid edge, helping utilities and communities improve grid resilience, disaster management, consumer engagement, efficiency and energy security while tackling future challenges. This collaboration merges its GEI with NVIDIA’s AI to deliver real-time, high-quality data for a smarter, more adaptable energy future.
Steady market demand backed by strong opportunities in grid resiliency, capacity, safety and automation augurs well. This growth is driven by the continued uptake of its grid intelligence platform, shipping 13.4 million distributed intelligence endpoints and licensing more than 15 million applications.
Itron's 2024 bookings of $2.7 billion resulted in a book-to-bill ratio of 1:11. The backlog primarily consists of grid-edge intelligence platform content from its Network Solutions and Outcomes segments, including more than 10 million endpoints and related platform components. Due to the back-end-loaded nature of 2024 bookings and the usual time lag from bookings to revenue, most new bookings will likely contribute to revenues beyond 2025. Considering this timing in its current 2025 revenue guidance, Itron anticipates 2025 revenues to be between $2.4 billion and $2.5 billion.
ITRI’s Zacks Rank and Stock Price Performance
ITRI currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The stock has gained 18.6% in the past year against the Zacks Electronics - Testing Equipment industry’s decline of 7.3%.
IDCC is a pioneer in advanced mobile technologies that enable wireless communications and capabilities. The company engages in designing and developing a wide range of advanced technology solutions, which are used in digital cellular as well as wireless 3G, 4G and IEEE 802-related products and networks. It has a long-term growth expectation of 15%.
Arista delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 12.87%. It has a long-term growth expectation of 14.41%. It supplies products to a prestigious set of customers, including Fortune 500 global companies in markets such as cloud titans, enterprises, financials and specialty cloud service providers.
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ITRI & MSFT to Boost Utility Management With AI-Driven Intelligence
Itron, Inc. (ITRI - Free Report) recently joined forces with Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) to unveil the power of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) to utilities and cities. The initiative aims to enhance data accessibility, optimize decision-making and improve operational efficiency by integrating Microsoft’s Copilot AI technology into Itron’s Intelligent Edge Operating System (IEOS).
Set to launch globally in the second quarter of 2025, this AI-fueled platform will act as a virtual assistant for utility operators, allowing them to access insights on metering, customer usage, network performance and distributed energy resources such as solar, wind and battery storage.
The IEOS platform forms the bedrock of Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence (GEI) solutions. These solutions, powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, are designed to securely process and analyze data at the edge of the grid, empowering utilities to access real-time insights directly from the field, leading to faster responses and smarter operations. The first applications that will utilize this AI-powered platform include Itron’s IEE Meter Data Management System and Operations Optimizer.
These applications will allow utility operators to make natural language queries, making it easier to obtain reports, analytics and insights without the need for advanced technical skills. Gen AI enables utilities to query the platform for the insights they need. With natural language capabilities, IEOS and Microsoft Copilot understand, interpret and respond intuitively.
Major Benefits of ITRI’s IEOS With Gen AI
With this collaboration, Itron’s GEI portfolio gains significant capabilities, allowing utilities and cities to improve service delivery, optimize resource management and enhance sustainability efforts. One of the most important benefits of AI-driven analytics is its ability to identify unusual consumption patterns, such as super-users, and implement targeted behavioral programs to help customers optimize their usage, leading to better customer satisfaction and improved energy conservation.
Data validation is a critical aspect of utility operations. With AI analyzing validation rules across utility networks, the platform can spot frequently failing rules, allowing system administrators to make necessary improvements. This leads to better data accuracy, reduced errors and more efficient operations. With IEOS, new components and analytics tools can be seamlessly plugged into the system, accelerating innovation and reducing the time needed to implement new capabilities.
The cutting-edge platform also enables utilities to access and analyze data across multiple sources, including Itron IEE Meter Data Management, distributed Intelligence applications and other integrated sources. In addition, with AI-embedded queries, users can easily pull data from various sources (distributed energy resource holdings, billing data and grid topology data) to create comprehensive reports and charts.
Furthermore, IEOS-Copilot integration can generate reports, charts and graphs using natural language commands. Also, AI not only analyzes data but offers recommendations and feedback to improve data quality, accuracy and analysis.
ITRI Empowers Utilities With AI-Focused Advancements
Despite the massive potential of AI-driven solutions, one of the biggest challenges for utilities has been the lack of expertise in AI and data analytics. According to industry reports, 43% of utilities cite a lack of AI expertise as a major barrier to adoption. However, Itron’s AI-driven IEOS eliminates this barrier by providing pre-integrated AI capabilities that do not require coding knowledge.
Itron, Inc. Price and Consensus
Itron, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Itron, Inc. Quote
The company continues to keep pace with the fast-changing energy landscape by introducing innovative products with advanced AI features to help utilities tackle challenges while strengthening the company's long-term growth. Recently, it launched IntelliFLEX, a tool that seamlessly integrates DER aggregation, forecasting and AI-driven load balancing across advanced technologies.
Apart from this, it teamed up with NVIDIA to bring AI-powered solutions to the grid edge, helping utilities and communities improve grid resilience, disaster management, consumer engagement, efficiency and energy security while tackling future challenges. This collaboration merges its GEI with NVIDIA’s AI to deliver real-time, high-quality data for a smarter, more adaptable energy future.
Steady market demand backed by strong opportunities in grid resiliency, capacity, safety and automation augurs well. This growth is driven by the continued uptake of its grid intelligence platform, shipping 13.4 million distributed intelligence endpoints and licensing more than 15 million applications.
Itron's 2024 bookings of $2.7 billion resulted in a book-to-bill ratio of 1:11. The backlog primarily consists of grid-edge intelligence platform content from its Network Solutions and Outcomes segments, including more than 10 million endpoints and related platform components. Due to the back-end-loaded nature of 2024 bookings and the usual time lag from bookings to revenue, most new bookings will likely contribute to revenues beyond 2025. Considering this timing in its current 2025 revenue guidance, Itron anticipates 2025 revenues to be between $2.4 billion and $2.5 billion.
ITRI’s Zacks Rank and Stock Price Performance
ITRI currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The stock has gained 18.6% in the past year against the Zacks Electronics - Testing Equipment industry’s decline of 7.3%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Other Stocks to Consider
Some other top-ranked stocks from the broader technology space are InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC - Free Report) and Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET - Free Report) . IDCC presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while ANET carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
IDCC is a pioneer in advanced mobile technologies that enable wireless communications and capabilities. The company engages in designing and developing a wide range of advanced technology solutions, which are used in digital cellular as well as wireless 3G, 4G and IEEE 802-related products and networks. It has a long-term growth expectation of 15%.
Arista delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 12.87%. It has a long-term growth expectation of 14.41%. It supplies products to a prestigious set of customers, including Fortune 500 global companies in markets such as cloud titans, enterprises, financials and specialty cloud service providers.