* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Entertainment-Focused Narrative and Culture Change Practice – New America

    Transforming Culture Through Engaging Entertainment Narratives

    Rising stars: Young classical musicians surging on social media – Yahoo

    Meet the Next Generation of Classical Music Sensations Making Waves on Social Media!

    Devin Harjes Dies: ‘Manifest’ & ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Actor Was 41 – WyomingNews.com

    Tragic Loss: Devin Harjes, Star of ‘Manifest’ and ‘Boardwalk Empire,’ Passes Away at 41

    Why Starz Entertainment Stock Soared Today – The Motley Fool

    Unpacking the Surge: What Fueled Starz Entertainment’s Stock Explosion Today!

    Unveiling the Enigmatic: First Looks at Destruction and Puck in ‘The Sandman

    Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

    Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    AI for lawyers: Win back your time using technology – nationaljurist.com

    Reclaim Your Time: How AI is Transforming the Legal Profession

    Prosecutors accuse men of exporting U.S. military technology to China – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    Men Charged with Illegally Exporting U.S. Military Technology to China

    ROLAND’S NEW WIRELESS TRIGGER TECHNOLOGY, PORTER & DAVIES ON TOUR, NEW 64 AUDIO ASPIRE UNIVERSAL IEM MODELS, WAVES FREE PLUGIN PACK – Modern Drummer Magazine

    ROLAND’S NEW WIRELESS TRIGGER TECHNOLOGY, PORTER & DAVIES ON TOUR, NEW 64 AUDIO ASPIRE UNIVERSAL IEM MODELS, WAVES FREE PLUGIN PACK – Modern Drummer Magazine

    This giant microwave may change the future of war – MIT Technology Review

    Revolutionizing Warfare: The Impact of a Game-Changing Giant Microwave

    Bajeed Pattan Joins Forbes Technology Council as Innovation Leader – PRWeb

    Bajeed Pattan Takes the Helm as Innovation Leader at Forbes Technology Council!

    Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

    Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Entertainment-Focused Narrative and Culture Change Practice – New America

    Transforming Culture Through Engaging Entertainment Narratives

    Rising stars: Young classical musicians surging on social media – Yahoo

    Meet the Next Generation of Classical Music Sensations Making Waves on Social Media!

    Devin Harjes Dies: ‘Manifest’ & ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Actor Was 41 – WyomingNews.com

    Tragic Loss: Devin Harjes, Star of ‘Manifest’ and ‘Boardwalk Empire,’ Passes Away at 41

    Why Starz Entertainment Stock Soared Today – The Motley Fool

    Unpacking the Surge: What Fueled Starz Entertainment’s Stock Explosion Today!

    Unveiling the Enigmatic: First Looks at Destruction and Puck in ‘The Sandman

    Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

    Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    AI for lawyers: Win back your time using technology – nationaljurist.com

    Reclaim Your Time: How AI is Transforming the Legal Profession

    Prosecutors accuse men of exporting U.S. military technology to China – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    Men Charged with Illegally Exporting U.S. Military Technology to China

    ROLAND’S NEW WIRELESS TRIGGER TECHNOLOGY, PORTER & DAVIES ON TOUR, NEW 64 AUDIO ASPIRE UNIVERSAL IEM MODELS, WAVES FREE PLUGIN PACK – Modern Drummer Magazine

    ROLAND’S NEW WIRELESS TRIGGER TECHNOLOGY, PORTER & DAVIES ON TOUR, NEW 64 AUDIO ASPIRE UNIVERSAL IEM MODELS, WAVES FREE PLUGIN PACK – Modern Drummer Magazine

    This giant microwave may change the future of war – MIT Technology Review

    Revolutionizing Warfare: The Impact of a Game-Changing Giant Microwave

    Bajeed Pattan Joins Forbes Technology Council as Innovation Leader – PRWeb

    Bajeed Pattan Takes the Helm as Innovation Leader at Forbes Technology Council!

    Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

    Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Dairyland powers up for a generative AI edge

April 9, 2024
in Business
Dairyland powers up for a generative AI edge
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Under the leadership of CIO Nate Melby, the Midwestern utility has been an early mover in putting machine learning and LLMs to work to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable electricity to its members.

A Midwestern utility cooperative might not be the first place you’d look for leading-edge implementations of emerging technologies, but thanks to the leadership of CIO Nate Melby, Dairyland Power Cooperative has become an unlikely pioneer in generative AI, churning out large language models (LLMs) that not only automate document summarization but also help manage power grids during storms.

Previously head of cybersecurity at Ingersoll-Rand, Melby started developing neural networks and machine learning models more than a decade ago. He brought that experience with him to Dairyland in 2016 when he was appointed as the cooperative’s first CIO to oversee 24 power grids in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota.

Melby pushed machine learning models into production very early at Dairyland, improving the cooperative’s weather forecasting capabilities and creating load management applications that “bent the curve” to best manage the company’s power load on peak days, the CIO says.

Now, thanks to the cooperative’s tight partnership with Microsoft systems integrator Stoneridge Software, as well as Melby’s extensive technology experience, Dairyland — which was formed during the New Deal in the 1930s — has been able to experiment with and put into production some of the earliest Microsoft Azure-based LLMs, Melby says.

“We were positioned correctly. We just came out of the gates fast, and we just kept solving problems,” the CIO says, noting that his team was experimenting with Azure LLMs before they were on the market. “We were trying to take advantage of the technology and make the right moves. We did not realize we were that far ahead.”

Laying the foundation

The La Crosse, Wisc.-based power utility is owned by 24 member systems, serving 700,000 people in rural areas of the upper Midwest. When Melby took on the role of CIO, he saw an organization that was seriously in need of digital transformation.

Dairyland’s early implementation of AI was a byproduct of its work in Microsoft’s FastTrack program, which saw Dairyland shifting to Dynamics 365 ERP and the Azure cloud. Melby believes his deep cybersecurity background in the enterprise and grasp of the imperative for data privacy in AI enabled him to earn the trust of Microsoft and work in the inner circle and at the leading edge.

“We put in the request in the first hour of the first day we knew we could and knew it was a bit crazy because we were in as soon as some of other huge companies with tons of resources,” says Melby, who worked closely with Stoneridge Software to develop its digital platform.   

Beginning in 2021, the Minneapolis-based Microsoft partner helped Dairyland migrate from several custom legacy applications to a commercial implementation of Dynamics 365 and an Azure data lake, which set the stage for the power company’s early foray into AI, according to the systems integrator.

“Dairyland has been on this journey and done this digital transformation to the whole Azure Microsoft platform to elevate them in the future to do the AI work,” says Dave Ruelle, a partner at Stoneridge Software, which is working with a variety of clients to implement Microsoft Copilot. Melby’s AI development for Dairyland, however, was all performed in-house, Ruelle notes. “I would say they’re at the forefront of it.”

Melby jumped on AI quickly because the cooperative is under pressure to provide safe and reliable electricity to members at the lowest rate possible. Drawing on his experience, deep technical insight, and doctorate in information systems, Melby had several practical ideas right away about how to apply machine learning models and generative AI to serve that mission and to produce other business efficiencies.

“From the moment that it was available, we just took it and ran with it,” the CIO says. “I was literally just waiting for commercial availability [of LLMs] but [services] like Azure Machine Learning made it so you could easily apply it to your data. It was cloud-based and something you could commercially license.”

Jumpstarting innovation

Initially, Dairyland jumped at a more generalist use of GPT-3 and GPT-4.5 LLMs. The team developed an AI-based writing assistant with analysis features that was initially used in communications and marketing to develop press releases and social media posts, Melby says.

After kicking the tires on other Azure LLMs, software developers on Melby’s team saw development time for certain workflows dwindle from two weeks to 15 minutes. One SCADA engineer, for example, started using generative AI “to create synthetic data for testing our SCADA systems,” Melby says.

“As a team, we knew one good way for us to start surfing the wave of this AI tsunami was with a general assistant, and when we made it available internally, there was huge interest and use,” says Melby, noting that, as his team of roughly 70 IT pros experimented with the public API, the “use cases started pouring in.”

Vladimir Tsoy, business applications supervisor at Dairyland, says Melby’s strategy and “progressive stance on technology” has been a “game changer” for the power company.

“The energy utilities sector isn’t known for being the quickest to embrace emerging technologies, but Nate’s leadership has brought us to the forefront of innovation,” Tsoy says, adding that Melby’s leadership has been instrumental in getting its AI initiatives up and running. “He was aware of some of the projects I had been working on for some time, and with his support, we managed to roll out some of these [AI applications] into production pretty quickly.”

Dairyland leans heavily on Microsoft but also maintains some applications on a private cloud and data centers for reliability, as part of the critical infrastructure, the CIO says.

Melby was nominated by the WisconsinCIO Advisory Board as a finalist for CIO of the year based on his leadership, effective management, and business value created through innovation, says Christa Ogilvy, executive director of ChicagoCIO and WisconsinCIO. He is “part of the brain trust” that hosted an AI strategy discussion with more than 30 CIOs in February and is one of 40 CIOs in Wisconsin who works collaboratively with peers to solve problems.

Looking ahead, Melby sees AI making a big impact on the industry’s biggest unsolved problems.

“In the electric utilities, it’s improved reliability for our generation assets, increased efficiency in our transmission systems, and is helping us be more sustainable by managing the energy transition with more renewables coming onto the grid,” Melby says, adding that “finding ways for us to make safety improvements would also be a huge benefit.”

To date, Dairyland is strategizing on ways to leverage retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector databases, and multimodality to create efficiency, the CIO says.

“For example, can we learn about our work environment using AI to analyze our own team’s observations of hazards and actions in the field, and use this to help us focus on the right things to improve our safety performance?” Melby conjectures. “These are the kinds of things we’re looking at, and it starts with identifying the problems that we want to solve.”

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

From our editors straight to your inbox

Get started by entering your email address below.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : CIO – https://www.cio.com/article/2084058/dairyland-powers-up-for-a-generative-ai-edge.html

Tags: businessDairylandpowers
Previous Post

How Ipsos has digitally adapted to changing business needs

Next Post

6 trends defining the enterprise IT market today

Fed’s Logan: The US economy remains resilient – FXStreet

Fed’s Logan: The US economy remains resilient – FXStreet

June 3, 2025
Entertainment-Focused Narrative and Culture Change Practice – New America

Transforming Culture Through Engaging Entertainment Narratives

June 3, 2025
NC lawmakers target pharmacy “middlemen” in proposed reforms – North Carolina Health News

NC Lawmakers Take Aim at Pharmacy Middlemen with Bold Reform Proposals

June 3, 2025
If we want better political representation, let’s stop voting straight ticket in Indiana – Indiana Capital Chronicle

Break the Mold: Why Ditching Straight Ticket Voting in Indiana Can Transform Political Representation

June 3, 2025
AI for lawyers: Win back your time using technology – nationaljurist.com

Reclaim Your Time: How AI is Transforming the Legal Profession

June 3, 2025
LeBron James details his gripes with the current state of youth sports: ‘A lot of kids burn the hell out’ – CBS Sports

LeBron James Opens Up About the Challenges Facing Youth Sports: “So Many Kids Are Burning Out

June 2, 2025
Restoration cannot be scaled up globally to save reefs from loss and degradation – Nature

Reviving Our Reefs: The Challenge of Scaling Up Restoration Efforts Globally

June 2, 2025
Attorney General Bonta Sues to Stop Termination, Withholding of National Science Foundation Grants – State of California – Department of Justice (.gov)

Attorney General Bonta Takes Action to Protect National Science Foundation Grants

June 2, 2025
Exclusive: US veterans agency orders scientists not to publish in journals without clearance – The Guardian

US Veterans Agency Imposes New Restrictions on Scientific Publishing

June 2, 2025
Upper Allen Township launches new initiative to encourage a more active lifestyle – fox43.com

Upper Allen Township launches new initiative to encourage a more active lifestyle – fox43.com

June 2, 2025

Categories

Archives

June 2025
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« May    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (660)
  • Economy (675)
  • Entertainment (21,581)
  • General (15,257)
  • Health (9,718)
  • Lifestyle (677)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (676)
  • Politics (684)
  • Science (15,895)
  • Sports (21,180)
  • Technology (15,662)
  • World (662)

Recent News

Fed’s Logan: The US economy remains resilient – FXStreet

Fed’s Logan: The US economy remains resilient – FXStreet

June 3, 2025
Entertainment-Focused Narrative and Culture Change Practice – New America

Transforming Culture Through Engaging Entertainment Narratives

June 3, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version