Hitachi launches HMAX Energy, a pioneering AI-powered service and solution suite for critical energy infrastructure

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, "Hitachi") - Hitachi Energy, a global leader in electrification, today announced the launch of HMAX Energy, an AI-powered suite of services and solutions designed to safeguard critical energy infrastructure while enabling operational efficiency. Delivered through trusted customer partnerships, HMAX Energy optimizes planning, prediction, and prevention – strengthening energy security and resilience.

The electrification of many industries and the rise of new power-intensive sectors are accelerating the need to expand and modernize the power grid - the one trillion-dollar investment of our time¹. In most countries, much of the grid infrastructure has already exceeded its expected lifetime and was not designed to meet today’s demands². The sector also faces a major constraint: supply chains for grid equipment are under severe pressure. As a result, increasing the availability and extending the lifetime of existing assets has never been more critical, making partnerships more important than ever.

To meet these demands, Hitachi Energy has launched HMAX Energy - the latest addition to Hitachi’s HMAX portfolio of AI solutions for social infrastructure. HMAX by Hitachi spans Energy, Mobility, and Industry, and is a realization of its Lumada 3.0 strategy.

HMAX Energy combines deep-domain expertise and leading AI capabilities across the entire value chain, covering primary energy infrastructure equipment from products, such as switchgear and transformers, to entire substations as well as complex HVDC systems and power quality solutions. Designed to be flexible to customers’ technology choices, HMAX Energy’s modular and secure offering is structured across three pillars:

• Plan - Optimizing asset lifecycle and operational efficiency with data-driven insights: Enabling operations and maintenance teams to make informed decisions and plans based on AI-powered data model recommendations.
• Predict - Detecting issues early with asset monitoring: Analyzing connected assets and environmental data to identify early signs of wear and flag unusual behavior.
• Prevent - Acting proactively to reduce risk and extend asset life: Regular health checks and AI-enhanced performance and simulation models, supported by expert field teams, maximizing the remaining life of critical equipment.

HMAX Energy builds on strong reference cases, demonstrating that fast emergency response and the prevention of costly failures and repairs can reduce revenue loss from equipment breakdowns by up to 60 percent. Through early detection, HMAX Energy can also reduce transformer failures by 50 percent and repair costs by up to 75 percent, supporting greater operational efficiency and grid availability³,⁴.

From infrastructure design and construction to operations and service, HMAX Energy builds on technologies already proven in the field. One example is the use of digital twins like IdentiQ® – part of HMAX Energy - for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems, which can reduce incident response times by up to 90 percent⁴.

Baltic Cable, one of the world’s longest subsea HVDC links, has implemented a digital twin data platform for its HVDC system. The platform brings together asset information, analytics, and operational data in a clear visual interface, providing a real-time view of the system’s status, lifecycle, performance, and potential future conditions.

Meanwhile, ERG, one of Italy’s leading renewable power operators, has digitalized a hybrid switchgear, by monitoring its operational parameters on-site, boosting asset availability and overall performance. The monitoring solutions gathers and analyzes all switchgear performance data which is then evaluated by Hitachi Energy's Collaboration Center in Lodi, Italy, a strategic service hub that delivers 24/7 product expertise and real-time support, facilitating condition monitoring and a proactive maintenance strategy for ERG with a 35 percent reduction in time spent on site inspection activities⁴.