Managing Risk in a High Energy-Demand Economy
Global energy systems are under growing strain as demand accelerates faster than infrastructure can adapt.
Across sectors, organisations are facing rising costs, grid constraints and reliability risks that are increasingly shaping investment decisions and operational strategy. In this environment, energy has moved from a background operational issue to a material business risk for technology leaders, OEMs and infrastructure providers alike.
The rapid expansion of cloud computing, AI-driven workloads and high-density digital infrastructure is intensifying pressure on power systems, forcing companies to reassess how energy is sourced, managed and consumed. Smarter energy use is emerging as the fastest and most cost-effective response alongside new supply.
This high-level briefing from the Financial Times, in partnership with ABB, examines the surge in energy demand and its implications for energy-intensive digital, industrial and infrastructure sectors. It considers how organisations are responding to capacity constraints through efficiency, optimisation and system-level thinking, and what these shifts mean for competitiveness and long-term operational resilience.
Panel Discussions Include:
Are energy systems becoming a bottleneck for industrial expansion?
As global energy demand accelerates faster than power systems can adapt, energy-intensive sectors — from industry and manufacturing to data, transport and infrastructure — are facing mounting pressure from rising costs, grid constraints and reliability risks. These dynamics are pushing energy optimisation from an operational consideration to a strategic imperative. What are the risks, and the opportunities, created by the widening gap between energy demand and system capacity?
Powering the AI and data boom – Energy access, infrastructure and policy alignment
The rapid expansion of AI, cloud computing and high-density data centres is driving a sharp increase in energy demand, placing growing pressure on power systems, grids and local infrastructure. As AI workloads scale faster than energy capacity, hyperscalers, colocation providers and technology manufacturers are reassessing energy access, reliability and location strategy. With data centres becoming critical economic infrastructure, closer alignment between technology deployment, energy systems and public policy is increasingly important.
"Great insights and good networking opportunity as the attendees were limited."
Previous Attendee, FT and ABB Event
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