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The Reuters news staff had no role in the production of this content. It was created by Reuters Plus, the brand marketing studio of Reuters.
Produced by Reuters Plus for
Beyond efficiency:
Resilience as the new benchmark for smart infrastructure
Siemens Smart Infrastructure CEO Matthias Rebellius explains why businesses need to digitalize their infrastructure to increase their resilience and lower carbon emissions
Today’s business landscape is defined by two fundamental priorities: the need to increase energy resilience and the desire to drive decarbonization further.
In recent years, a series of global shocks, from supply chain disruptions to geopolitical shifts, have pushed resilience to the very top of the agenda for organizations worldwide. At the same time, the drive to greater efficiency through digitalization enhances competitiveness and benefits sustainability.
Of course, these two objectives are inextricably linked. Building a more resilient, reliable operational backbone is essential to successful decarbonization. Our latest research, the Siemens Infrastructure Transition Monitor 2025, provides a clear, fact-based snapshot of where we are today. The report, which surveyed 1,400 senior executives across 19 countries and 36 industries, reveals a clear progression: 63% of countries now have a decarbonization strategy in place, a significant increase from just 47% in 2023. This is a positive development. But the report also highlights a growing gap between ambition and execution with over half of respondents (57%) saying that the energy transition needs to speed up. Nor is this sense of urgency just about meeting climate goals. It’s also about economic considerations with 43% of respondents saying their company prioritizes costs and revenue when choosing a decarbonization strategy.
Meanwhile, a resilient energy supply has gained in importance to become the number one infrastructure priority. This is another pragmatic response to the real-world challenges businesses are facing, from volatile energy markets driven in part by the war in Ukraine to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events.
Matthias Rebellius
Member of the Managing Board
of Siemens AG
and CEO of Smart Infrastructure Siemens
Matthias Rebellius
say that the pace of the
energy transition needs to accelerate significantly.
Resilient energy supply has become the number one infrastructure priority on the national level.
say their country has an effective
decarbonization strategy.
63%
57%
Bridging the gap with smart infrastructure
Undoubtedly, while planning of Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) emission targets is improving (from 47% in 2023 to 59% in 2025), what’s clear is that many organizations are struggling to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. This is where the real and digital worlds must meet. The most realistic and widely recognized route to a net-zero energy system for industry is electrification, with 64% of respondents agreeing on this path.
Electrification is proven, scalable and a critical step in reducing emissions. Yet it also brings a significant challenge: poor grid infrastructure. Indeed, 61% of respondents see the limitations of the existing grid as a constraint to the transition. We can’t electrify everything if the grid can’t handle the increased load and the bi-directional flow of electricity from decentralized energy sources, such as solar panels on a factory roof or a fleet of electric vehicles. The grid, in many places, is simply not flexible enough.
The solution lies in digitalization. It lies in enabling smart, flexible, and resilient grids. These provide the visibility and control needed to manage a complex, decentralized energy system. Using digital technologies allows us to both enhance the capacity of our grids and make them more stable and adaptable to the fluctuating nature of renewable energy.
Software is one crucial component in advanced grid management: rerouting power, balancing loads and seamlessly integrating new energy sources. Another is intelligent hardware, such as smart transformers and circuit breakers, which can communicate with the network and respond in real-time.
Data deficiency and AI-driven analysis
Digitalization is no longer just an enabler. It is central to building resilience and delivering measurable progress on decarbonization. But while nearly three quarters (71%) of respondents to our Infrastructure Transition Monitor 2025 see digitalization as a critical factor in the energy transition, only half of the surveyed executives say they have the data required to make effective decarbonization decisions. This data deficiency is a critical barrier to progress. Without the right data, it is impossible to ensure transparency, optimize your organization for efficiency and hold it to account for its progress. This is where AI becomes a game-changer. Two-thirds of our respondents say that AI makes infrastructure more resilient and will transform how their organizations operate. Importantly, AI-driven data analysis and predictions allow businesses to move from a reactive to a proactive state. For a facility manager, this means getting notifications about a potential equipment failure hours or days in advance, allowing them to schedule a repair and avoid an emergency shutdown. For a utility, it means predicting spikes in demand and adjusting energy flow automatically to prevent blackouts.
The readiness for autonomous systems was another clear finding of our research. Most of the executives surveyed believe their organizations are now ready to implement autonomous systems in power grids (62%) and buildings (54%). These systems are the next step in the digital journey, enabling improved efficiency and reliability without human intervention.
66%
66%
62%
say that AI will transform how their organization operates.
say that AI makes infrastructure more resilient.
believe their region is ready to implement autonomous systems in power grids.
Creating smarter buildings
But smart infrastructure is not just about the electricity grid. Buildings alone are responsible for around 40% of global energy consumption and more than half of respondents plan to increase investment in energy efficiency (57%), smart building technologies (55%) and building electrification (54%).
The challenge they face? Rising costs and the need for new financial models. Smart building technologies provide the transparency needed to overcome these barriers. For example, by giving facility managers a clear view of energy consumption and system performance, these technologies make possible the data-driven decisions that can reduce operational costs, lower emissions and provide a faster return on investment. This includes everything from IoT sensors for optimizing HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems to intelligent lighting that adjusts light to natural levels.
Our report also recognizes demand-side flexibility as a reason why more than half of industrial companies (59%) plan to use their energy assets to make money. This is a fundamental shift in mindset, where factories are no longer just energy consumers but also energy producers and active participants in the energy market. Digital twins can help to unlock this value by allowing companies to model and optimize their energy usage.
Siemens as a partner
Digitalization is much more than a single piece of technology or one isolated project. It's about connecting an entire ecosystem, from the energy grid to the buildings and industries that help shape our lives.
At Siemens Smart Infrastructure we provide tangible tools and technologies that help our customers navigate an increasingly complex landscape, focusing on practical, scalable solutions. With our dedication to data-driven insights and a clear focus on integrated solutions, we are helping our customers build the resilient infrastructure of tomorrow.
Find out more at
siemens.com
Factories are no longer just energy consumers but also energy producers and active participants in the energy market.
Using digital technologies allows us to both enhance the capacity of our grids and make them more stable and adaptable to the fluctuating nature of renewable energy.
