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Our use of energy is never far from the headlines these days, so Rich Graves – Senior Vice President of Product Management at Energy Exemplar – is in the hottest of hot seats. He oversees the global product, user experience and product marketing teams for a company that supports businesses as they transition to a decarbonised future.
They do this using their own B2B SaaS platform and using a combination of modelling and simulation. “Spatial computing could improve the visualization of energy flow, resource allocation and market dynamics,” Rich told us – and a good response to anyone who thinks that augmented reality and virtual reality are just for games.
With a 20-year career dedicated to helping organizations enhance decision-making through IT and energy software solutions, this short interview can’t hope to reflect all of Rich’s experience. But, whether you’re an IT manager or simply work for a company that’s on the road to decarbonisation, we hope you find some useful insights.
The IT industry is in the midst of transformative change driven by everything from AI to spatial computing. AI is already changing the way we work and make decisions, but that comes at the cost of transparency – and, in some cases, ethics.
The same is true elsewhere. The rapid evolution of quantum computing presents opportunities for solving previously intractable problems, yet it also poses risks, including breaking current cryptographic systems. That’s a big threat to the energy sector.
Thinking of the energy sector in particular, these shifts will redefine how organizations approach planning, operations and investments. Advanced simulations, real-time analytics and AR will allow for more informed, techno-economic decision-making. For instance, spatial computing could improve the visualization of energy flow, resource allocation and market dynamics.
The role of IT professionals will evolve from system management to orchestrating complex ecosystems. These professionals will need to act as strategic enablers, fostering collaboration and using emerging technologies to drive innovation. They’ll also need to focus on ethical considerations, especially with the increasing adoption of AI, to ensure transparency, accountability and compliance.
In the energy sector, this evolution means IT professionals will play a critical role in enabling techno-economic decision-making. Their expertise will move beyond operational support to providing strategic insights that optimize energy investments and operations. For example, they’ll use simulation tools to analyze market scenarios, assess grid resilience, and plan for decarbonization efforts.
Edge computing and IoT will decentralize IT infrastructure, bringing computation and analytics closer to the data source. Edge computing will be particularly critical for IoT ecosystems, where billions of devices generate real-time data for applications like smart cities and industrial automation.
In the energy sector, edge computing and IoT will revolutionize grid management, enabling real-time monitoring of distributed energy resources, predictive maintenance of assets and enhanced responsiveness to market changes. For example, edge-enabled IoT devices can monitor grid health and detect faults in real-time, reducing downtime and costs.
As the future of IT evolves, professionals will need a combination of technical expertise and strategic thinking. Skills in AI, data science, and quantum technologies will be essential, but so will the ability to build composable, business-native applications that are fit-for-purpose and platform-ready. These applications must be designed to integrate seamlessly into business processes, enabling deeper decision-making and actionable outcomes. IT professionals must also be proficient in cloud-native development, energy modelling, simulation tools, and IoT technologies to deliver solutions that support both operational optimization and broader business objectives.
Spatial computing and industry clouds are highly underestimated. These technologies offer transformative potential by creating immersive, data-rich environments and tailored, sector-specific solutions. They could unlock new business models and enhance collaboration in ways that have yet to be fully realized.
In the energy sector, spatial computing can improve the visualization of market scenarios and energy systems, while industry clouds can streamline data integration and innovation while simultaneously providing new business applications and capabilities to entire ecosystems.
