NTT DATA and AutoGrid Systems Collaborate

TOKYO and REDWOOD SHORES, CA /Marketwired/ -- NTT DATA, a global IT services leader, and AutoGrid Systems Inc., a leader in big data analytics for the electricity and energy industry, announced a strategic research and development agreement to develop new technologies for the energy sector, based on AutoGrid's Energy Data Platform (EDP).

The need for managing peak electricity demand is already very high in the U.S. and Japan, and is expected to be a major worldwide trend in the coming years. NTT DATA and AutoGrid will use big data techniques to develop a novel cloud-based demand-side-management application that will help electricity users save billions of dollars every year while improving grid reliability.

The alliance combines AutoGrid's expertise in predictive analytics, big data, and cloud-based applications with NTT DATA's industry-leading experience in implementing large and complex information systems across the globe. On successful completion of the proposed R&D projects, the partnership will leverage NTT DATA's global reach and AutoGrid's rapidly growing presence with North American utility and energy services providers to jointly market and deploy these applications in the U.S. and the rest of the world. The project will start in September 2013.

"Energy management is one of the most dynamic segments in today's technology industry. Big data–driven applications deployed on the cloud will give utilities, business users, and consumers an unprecedented ability to precisely monitor, control, and predict their energy needs," said Executive Vice President, Head of Public Sector, Toshio Iwai. "Through our collaboration with AutoGrid, we hope to undertake transformative research that can lead to dramatic improvements in the world's energy productivity."

"We are extremely excited to be working with NTT DATA," said Amit Narayan, CEO and founder of AutoGrid. "NTT DATA is one of the most respected global brands and an established world leader in implementing and deploying enterprise-scale information technology applications. By leveraging NTT DATA's deep expertise in cloud, big data, and global software delivery capabilities, this collaboration will help us toward our mission of enabling access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for the world."

AutoGrid's EDP analyzes multiple streams of structured and unstructured data originating from smart meters, grid sensors, and other energy management systems, and combines this data with physics-based models of the transmission and distribution networks, as well as other sources of information, such as weather feeds and customer demographics, to generate comprehensive, accurate forecasts concerning power consumption and grid conditions. EDP, in effect, lets both the energy services providers and users of energy to peer into the future and plan for it. The forecasts serve as the basis for strategies to dynamically reduce peak consumption and effectively manage power quality in the presence of intermittent renewable resources, such as solar and wind. By using EDP's big data and grid physics engines through cloud-based open APIs, third-party application developers can build highly scalable and innovative applications at one-tenth of the cost and time required to develop these applications previously.

About AutoGrid
Founded in 2011, AutoGrid Systems Inc. is dedicated to bringing the power of big data, predictive analytics, and Internet-scale computational techniques to the production and consumption of electricity. Serving utilities of all sizes, grid operators, electricity retailers, ESCO services companies, and end users, AutoGrid develops and markets software solutions that help lower costs and improve reliability and sustainability of the electricity supply chain. AutoGrid DROMS, the first application built on top of EDP, can cut the cost of implementing demand-response programs by 90% while increasing the yield of power from demand response events by up to 30%. DROMS allows utilities to offer more choices and flexibility to their customers when implementing demand-response programs. At the same time, DROMS ensures that the yields from these programs remain highly reliable and predictable so utilities can rely on DR for mission-critical operations. AutoGrid's technology was awarded the prestigious Department of Energy's Advanced Projects Research Agency-Energy funding in 2012, and has been deployed by City of Palo Alto Utilities, Austin Energy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Co-Innovation Labs at SAP, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, and several other organizations.

Trademarks
EDP and DROMS are trademark of AutoGrid.

About NTT DATA
NTT DATA is your innovation partner anywhere around the world, with operations in more than 35 countries. NTT DATA emphasizes long-term commitment and combines global reach and local intimacy to provide premier professional services from consulting, application services, business process, and IT outsourcing to cloud-based solutions.