Witbeck, Kydon T.

Southern Company's Power Delivery, with NTT DATA and Databricks, is building a modern data and AI foundation for the utility grid of the future. This session features Shane Powell and Greg Stuhlman, sharing the evolution of their multi-year collaboration from early analytics modernization to a future lakehouse-driven architecture. NTT DATA leveraged its global Databricks partnership to co-engineer utility-specific solutions. Recent successes include a modernized insights application reducing data load times from 15 minutes to under 3 seconds through redesigned data models, optimized compute, and modern React front end. The session explores AI readiness through improved data quality, governance, and lineage — enabling intelligent grid applications, fleet safety, and AI forecasting while maintaining regulatory rigor. Attendees will learn architectural decisions and lessons from building scalable data infrastructure for regulated enterprises.