Powering the Digital Grid with Network Automation & Ai-driven Operations

Thursday, June 19, 2025

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM PT

Location: CC - 203 A

Speaker(s)

Matthew Deibel

Grid Automation Services Manager
Southern California Edison

PDF
Karan Munalingal

VP - Global Solutions Engineering & Architecture
Itential
Craig Hammond

Network Architect
Southern California Edison
Rosemead, California, United States
Zach Hoffman

Senior Systems Engineering Manager
World Wide Technology
Escondido, California, United States

Moderator(s)

Cordell Briggs, II (he/him/his)

Vice President, Cybersecurity and Advocacy
Utilities Technology Council
Arlington, Virginia, United States

As utilities race to modernize critical infrastructure and prepare for a more electrified, decentralized, and data-driven future, Southern California Edison (SCE) is leading the charge with a bold strategy to enhance grid resiliency, strengthen cybersecurity, and unlock the full potential of AI across their operations.

In this session, Matt Deibel, Manager of Grid Automation Services at SCE, will be joined by Craig Hammond, Network Architect at SCE and technology partners Karan Munalingal from Itential and Zach Hoffman from WWT to share how SCE is building a scalable, intelligent automation framework that supports some of the most pressing modernization goals in the industry — from grid modernization to accommodate increased electricity demands to advanced incident management and AI-driven decision making.

With AI initiatives like Project ORCA and the deployment of Zero Touch Provisioning frameworks already in motion, this session offers a firsthand look at how SCE is navigating the real-world challenges of modernizing a utility network — and how orchestration and AI are coming together to shape the autonomous grid of the future.