Digital Twins For Energy Modeling Go From Data Centers to Mainstream Development

The surge in data center development has exposed a basic problem in modern real estate: power planning is still largely static in a world where energy demand is dynamic. Utilities and developers are increasingly turning to digital twin technology that can model entire energy systems in real time, simulating how power grids respond to new loads, extreme weather, infrastructure upgrades, or equipment failures. What was once a planning exercise done on spreadsheets is becoming a living model that can be updated continuously as conditions change.

These tools are gaining traction because traditional grid planning moves slowly, while data center demand moves fast. AI-driven facilities can add tens or hundreds of megawatts of load in a single project, overwhelming assumptions baked into older transmission and distribution models. Neara, an Australian tech startup that builds AI-driven digital models of power networks, has raised more than $60 million in funding as burgeoning data center power demand places increasing strain on electricity grids worldwide. The company’s modeling platform lets utilities simulate how networks will respond to different loads, weather, infrastructure changes and stressors, giving operators predictive insights that were previously extremely difficult to obtain in real time...