AI Needs Power: Duke Energy CIO on Fueling the Future of Data Centers

In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High interviews Richard Donaldson, the Senior Vice President and CIO of Duke Energy. Donaldson discusses Duke Energy's vertically integrated operations, including power generation, transmission, and distribution, highlighting the company's impressive scale with 11 nuclear reactors and 55 gigawatts of generation. He elaborates on his role as CIO, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the company's 1,400 business applications and complex infrastructure. The conversation covers Duke Energy's focus on energy modernization to meet increasing load demands, particularly from data centers, and the company's efforts to improve customer experience through digital transformation and AI-driven personalization. Donaldson also shares insights on leveraging AI across the organization, balancing innovation with data protection and governance, and his perspective on the future of AI and robotics in hazardous work environments.