Nordkapp

AI Strategic direction for upcoming years, Energy grid company

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As AI accelerates across the energy sector, grid operators face mounting pressure to understand where emerging technologies can create real value—while balancing regulatory demands, evolving customer expectations, and long-term infrastructure priorities. For this Finnish energy grid company, the task was to clarify its strategic direction for AI and identify the opportunities most critical for the years ahead.

With many potential use cases and a rapidly shifting landscape, the organization needed a structured, forward-looking process to align stakeholders and focus its efforts.

This case study outlines how we supported the company in shaping that direction—bringing together insights, expertise, and strategic analysis to lay the foundation for scalable, impactful AI development.

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Challenge

A leading Finnish energy grid company needed to build organizational AI maturity and identify high-value opportunities for strategic AI direction across customer-facing and internal operations. The organization faced the challenge of navigating legislative, technological, social, and economic factors while ensuring alignment with business strategy and meaningful stakeholder engagement throughout the process.

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Our Approach

We designed and facilitated a comprehensive innovation and foresight process that brought together leadership, domain experts, and data teams to systematically explore AI opportunities. We began by conducting comprehensive future scanning to identify key drivers and signals affecting both customers and the broader business landscape. This foundation enabled us to evaluate the full spectrum of potential AI applications through systematic opportunity mapping. To assess each opportunity rigorously, we employed an impact-affect matrix that provided deep understanding of how identified opportunities would influence the organization. This analytical approach culminated in a robust prioritization framework that scored opportunities based on both business value and organizational impact.

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Co-Development Process

Through a series of strategic workshops with key stakeholders, we defined the strategic direction for AI development in digital channels, with a particular focus on enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency. The collaborative process enabled us to prioritize validated use cases through structured manners. This groundwork culminated in the company level development for strategy direction and for the strategic building phase.

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Outcomes and deliverables

Opportunity assessment and prioritization framework, clear AI development direction and alignment between the internal stakeholders, clear AI development direction aligned with company’s business priorities

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Impact

Foundation for scalable AI-driven growth, strengthened innovation culture, increased employee engagement in AI maturity and development,

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