Energy & Utilities

OPTIMUM: AI, data & IoT for energy management

OPTIMUM combines AI, energy data and connected devices to improve utility processes and support efficiency and sustainability.

Artificial Intelligence

Optimization of Processes and Technologies Improving Management for Utilities Market (OPTIMUM) is a 24-month Research and Development project promoted by Mashfrog Group. The project aims to develop an integrated digital platform based on artificial intelligence to manage and optimise information flows for energy providers and support the electrical component of Smart City operations.

The platform is designed to work with heterogeneous data from consumption, meters, billing, operational systems and devices distributed across the territory. Dedicated data pipelines collect and organise this information, creating a common foundation for analysis, monitoring, forecasting and decision support.

A distinctive element of OPTIMUM is the integration of conventional utility processes with smart-device management. The project specifically considers smart-lighting scenarios, where energy data, IoT sensors and operational information can be analysed within the same environment to better understand infrastructure behaviour and identify efficiency opportunities.

Artificial intelligence is applied to forecasting and improving energy-management systems. The models developed are intended to identify consumption patterns, operational anomalies and potential improvement opportunities, turning available data into information that can support planning and the management of energy services.

Alongside predictive models, OPTIMUM investigates the use of generative AI for dashboards and reporting. The objective is to make information easier to consult for users with different needs and to support the production and interpretation of reports without separating this function from the rest of the platform.
The development path also includes integration and field validation. The appraisal report provides for a test phase in Via Sarullo, Palermo, carried out with the collaboration of AMG Energia, to assess the applicability of the platform in a real Smart City context and verify the integration of software, data and connected devices.

Five modules for an integrated platform

The expected final result is a platform composed of five integrated software modules, at least three of which are based on artificial intelligence techniques:

1- Data pipelines for energy information

A module for acquiring, organising and making available data on consumption, meters, billing and other utility information flows. This component provides the common information foundation used by the analytical and application modules of the platform.

2- Smart-device management and orchestration

A module dedicated to managing connected devices used in energy-centred Smart City projects, with particular reference to smart lighting. The objective is to connect information generated across the territory with the platform’s monitoring and analytical functions.

3- Dashboards and generative-AI reporting

A module for data consultation by customers and providers, combining dashboards and reporting functions with generative-AI techniques. The component is designed to facilitate the interpretation of complex datasets and indicators and make information more accessible within operational and decision-making processes.

4- Energy forecasting and efficiency

A module based on artificial intelligence techniques to forecast consumption and support the efficiency of energy-management systems. Models are developed to identify patterns, anomalies and potential optimisation opportunities using the available data.

5- Integration, configuration and validation

A cross-cutting module for integrating the developed components, optimising performance and configuring the platform for different application contexts. The development path includes quality-assurance activities and field experimentation to assess the behaviour of the integrated solution beyond individual laboratory prototypes.

AI and energy efficiency for the transformation of

OPTIMUM falls within the “Smart and sustainable industry, energy and environment” area of the Italian National Smart Specialisation Strategy and identifies artificial intelligence as its core enabling technology. The project is oriented towards reducing greenhouse-gas emissions through the optimisation of energy systems and more efficient use of resources.

The combination of data management, predictive models, generative AI and IoT makes it possible to address both utility information processes and the management of distributed smart infrastructure within the same framework. The platform is therefore designed as a modular solution that can be configured for different application contexts rather than as a collection of independent tools.

From utility management to Smart City field

The planned experimentation in Palermo connects technological development with a concrete urban context. In collaboration with AMG Energia, the project includes tests on a section of city infrastructure to verify the integration of smart-lighting devices, data and software components and assess their contribution to energy-efficiency processes.

OPTIMUM therefore brings together data management, traditional and generative AI, and IoT within an integrated platform for utilities and energy management. The expected result is a technological foundation that can support predictive analysis, device management and better-informed decisions, while maintaining a clear focus on reducing consumption, waste and emissions.