Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rulebook for industrial and energy operations, and few understand this transformation better than Damini Chaudhari, Vice President Services at Schneider Electric. From shifting load patterns in data centres to the growing focus on lifecycle asset management, she believes the future belongs to organisations that can combine technology with long term thinking.
Data centres today are undergoing a structural reset. "AI led power consumption, which is just around 5% today, is expected to reach 15 to 20% by 2029," says Chaudhari. More AI means higher density, more heat, and tougher uptime demands, forcing operators to rethink design, cooling, and lifecycle management strategies. Achieving up to 99.9% uptime and improving power usage effectiveness (PUE) to around 1.3 are becoming the new benchmarks.
Whether building a new data centre or retrofitting an existing one, the approach must be future ready. As Chaudhari notes in her role at Schneider Electric, this is where end to end asset lifecycle management plays a critical role, spanning design, maintenance, optimisation, and digital monitoring through solutions like EcoConsult, EcoCare, and EcoFit. These enable operators to optimise power consumption, extend equipment life, and prevent issues before they escalate.
However, the operational shift is only part of the story. The larger challenge lies in mindset. Despite significant investments in digital transformation, many organisations struggle to scale beyond pilot projects. "Only about 30% are able to truly scale," notes Chaudhari. The missing link is a digital first culture and workforce readiness. Sales teams, technicians, and facility managers all need to operate with a shared digital understanding. "There is a skill gap in the ecosystem," she explains, "and continuous digital training is essential to bridge it."
The emerging industrial playbook is not just about adopting technology but about shifting to predictive, service led models. Instead of reacting to failures, companies are increasingly relying on condition-based maintenance and predictive insights. Solutions such as EcoCare, a key service offering from Schneider Electric, provide round the clock monitoring, triggering alerts within minutes and reducing unplanned downtime by up to 70%. The result is safer, leaner, and more sustainable operations.
India's manufacturing and energy sectors are at a crucial inflection point. As industries adopt renewable energy and aim to increase manufacturing's contribution to GDP to 20%, lifecycle partnerships rather than standalone technology providers will become key drivers of progress. Chaudhari emphasises that organisations working with partners like Schneider Electric are better positioned to break organisational silos, integrate systems, and view performance holistically. The impact is already visible, with one organisation achieving 29% energy savings across 23 campuses after implementing a lifecycle approach.
Chaudhari's vision of a future ready enterprise is clear. It is reliable, efficient, sustainable, and powered by AI and data. "We need to stop looking at assets in isolation," she concludes. "Sustainability and performance will only improve when systems are viewed holistically, driven by data, focused on outcomes, and designed for long term value."
The era of reactive maintenance and isolated digital initiatives is rapidly fading. The next decade will belong to organisations that can connect people, technology, and purpose to build intelligent, resilient systems that support a more sustainable world, she says.
