National Grid Deploys AI Technology to Tackle Record Wildfire Risk in Northeast—Collaboration with Rhizome Prioritizes Safety and Cost Efficiency

AI Partnership Responds to Unprecedented Wildfire Surge in New York and Massachusetts

National Grid is ramping up its defense against wildfires after a sharp rise in incidents across the Northeast. Through a newly announced collaboration with Rhizome, an AI-driven climate resilience platform, the company is targeting a more resilient and safer energy infrastructure for millions of customers in Massachusetts, New York, and even the UK.

The move comes on the heels of a staggering 2,626 wildfires recorded in New York and Massachusetts during 2024—a more than twofold increase over the prior year. Once viewed as a West Coast issue, wildfire risk is now very much a Northeast concern, bringing urgent focus to utility grid reliability, public health, and customer affordability.

AI-Powered Tools Aim to Pinpoint Risks and Optimize Prevention Strategies

At the heart of the initiative is Rhizome’s gridFIRM platform, which leverages advanced artificial intelligence to identify, quantify, and prioritize wildfire risks across utility transmission and distribution networks. National Grid expects this proactive, data-driven approach to bolster grid resilience, enhance safety, and limit financial burdens for consumers.

Casey Kirkpatrick, Director of Strategic Engineering at National Grid, underscored the initiative’s customer-first mentality: "This groundbreaking new tool will allow us to pinpoint and address risks within our transmission and distribution systems while minimizing costs for customers." The gridFIRM platform is set to empower National Grid to deploy prevention and response strategies more effectively—delivering benefits on both sides of the equation: grid safety and bill stability.

Forward-Looking Resilience—Innovation and Investment Lead the Way

This collaboration fits squarely within National Grid’s wider push toward innovation in energy and risk management. Notably, earlier this year, National Grid Partners—the company’s venture and innovation arm—committed another $100 million to support AI technologies and startups in energy, adding to its existing $150 million in innovation investments. These moves demonstrate National Grid’s determination to stay ahead of the evolving threats posed by climate change while transforming the reliability and sustainability of its networks.

Rhizome CEO Mishal Thadani echoed this sense of urgency: "Today’s partnership with National Grid is a significant step forward in our mission to shield society from the effects of climate change through intelligent planning." The initiative's key deliverables are to not just identify high-risk areas, but also prioritize investments, optimize resource deployment, and reduce wildfire risk in ways that make a measurable impact on communities and customers.

Takeaway: Wildfire Risk Planning Becomes a Northeast Imperative

National Grid’s new initiative signals a broader shift in how utilities address wildfire threats—a transition from reactive to predictive, from localized to regional, and from costly emergency measures to smarter, data-driven risk mitigation. With wildfire risk spreading and intensifying across regions unaccustomed to such threats, National Grid’s strategy sets an important example for the industry and for policy-makers.

As grid resilience planning grows more complex in the face of climate volatility, this investment in AI and collaborative problem-solving may prove pivotal in safeguarding energy supply, customer bills, and community safety for years to come.

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