Digitalisation of the energy system

Digitalisation is an enabler of the energy transition across the whole energy value chain, from generation and transport, to distribution, supply and consumption. A system-wide approach, supported by EU countries and promoting cooperation between digital and energy stakeholders is key to advancing the twin transition, including the objectives of the European Green Deal and making the EU fit for the digital age.

Strategic roadmap for digitalisation and AI in energy

The roadmap complements other initiatives announced in the AI field, such as the AI Act and the AI Continent Action Plan. It also covers the sustainable integration of data centres within the EU energy system, as well as mitigating potential challenges linked to the large-scale deployment of AI solutions in critical infrastructure.

To support the preparation of the roadmap, the Commission launched an open public consultation and a call for evidence, between 5 August and 5 November 2025. More than 300 contributions were received and analysed.

Data centres

Data centres are critical for Europe's competitiveness and digital sovereignty, as they support cloud computing, AI technologies, and digital services, but they also raise new challenges for the energy system.

Data centres represent

To promote the sustainable integration of data centres in the energy system, 14 European industry associations have agreed to work together, under the steering of the Commission, to develop an EU model for tripartite agreements between data centre operators, energy-related parties and public authorities. The model will draw on good practices from across the EU and will set out potential actions for signatory parties to facilitate the sustainable integration of data centres in the energy system and support the twin green and digital EU transition.

To showcase this key initiative, the industry associations signed a Declaration of Intent, as part of a high-level event that took place on 3 June in the presence of Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen. The signatories are: European Data Centre Association (EUDCA), ENTSO-E, EU DSO Entity, E.DSO, Eurelectric, GEODE, SolarPower Europe, WindEurope, nucleareurope, Energy Storage Europe, Flow Batteries Europe, T&D Europe, CurrENT, Euroheat & Power.

In addition, these associations, or any other company active in those respective fields, willing to be among the first signatories of a tripartite agreement, are invited to sign a Declaration of Support. 6 companies already signed at the high-level event, and as early implementers of the EU model, they will sign tripartite agreements in local or regional contexts.

AI across the energy value chain

In 2025, stakeholders reconvened in a series of events and technical working groups to discuss use cases, data and governance aspects, and the technical requirements around AI for power grids.

These discussions ultimately led to the creation of the AI.grids initiatives framework, a which aims to develop, train and deploy a pan-European AI model for power grids from the bottom-up, optimising the efficiency and reliability of operations.

The flagship initiative AI.grids was officially launched by the signing of the project agreement on 3 June 2026 in the presence of Commissioner Jørgensen.

Data for AI and the energy system

On 20 May 2026, the Commission organised, together with the German Federal Government, a high-level event of the European Industry Coalition on Bidirectional Charging. It endorsed a joint report, co-drafted by 3 expert groups: the Commission’s Smart Energy Expert Group, the Sustainable Transport Forum, and the German-led Coalition on Bidirectional Charging, which includes a comprehensive set of recommendations to make easy and seamless data exchange for flexibility, smart charging and bi-directional charging a reality.  

Smart Energy Expert Group

The creation of the Smart Energy Expert Group (SEEG) was outlined in the Digitalisation action plan and it was formally established by Decision C/2023/6121, adopted on 18 September 2023.

The SEEG assists the Commission on issues regarding the sustainable digital transformation of the energy system and in the development and deployment of smart energy solutions that support - and are strategically aligned with - the goals of the twin green and digital transition.

The Commission has established 3 subgroups under the SEEG to cover

• Data for Energy (D4E)
• Consumers Empowerment and Protection
• Cybersecurity for energy

The relevant documents of the 3 SEEG subgroups are available in a dedicated library. 

Research and innovation 

Through its flagship R&I programme, Horizon Europe (2021–2027), the EU has allocated approximately €1 billion to research and innovation in energy systems, grids, and storage. Building on successful project results, the 2026–2027 work programme provides approximately €100 million for advanced smart grid solutions and €75 million for AI energy applications, with a further €190 million supporting digital solutions for renewable technologies, smart buildings, and energy efficiency.

A factsheet describing Horizon Europe projects supporting the digitalisation and use of AI in the energy system was published on 3 June 2026.

Other EU programmes promoting the digitalisation of the energy system include the Digital Europe Programme, the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme, Connecting Europe Facility and Cohesion Funds.

A thematic collection of innovative EU-funded research results can be found in the CORDIS Results Pack on the digitalisation of the energy system. The key areas covered include the development of a Europe-wide data sharing infrastructure for new energy services, empowering consumers by increasing control over their energy use and bills through new digital tools. The research projects also address the uptake of new digital technologies for the energy system and strengthening of cyber security and resilience throughout the energy system to meet real-time requirements.

EU action plan for digitalising energy

In October 2022, in addition to the emergency interventions to tackle high energy prices, the Commission adopted the Digitalising the energy system - EU action plan (COM/2022/552). Implementation of the key actions for digitalising energy have been ongoing since.

The system-wide digitalisation energy action plan aims to contribute to the EU energy policy objectives by supporting the development of a sustainable, (cyber)secure, transparent and competitive market for digital energy services, ensuring data privacy and sovereignty, and supporting investment in digital energy infrastructure.

The plan is accompanied by a Staff Working Document (SWD/2022/341), explaining the different actions and the lessons that can be learnt from best practices, national initiatives and successful projects. 

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