Atos has partnered with the UK’s transmission operator National Grid to develop Triton, a digital twin and data visualization platform designed to improve electricity infrastructure planning across the UK.

According to the partners, Triton will provide a network-wide view of future electricity demand by mapping growth at grid supply points and transmission substations to assist National Grid in planning investments and network upgrades needed to support decarbonization and rising energy demand.

The platform works by creating a digital replica of National Grid’s physical infrastructure and enables scenario modelling, reducing the time required to analyze and decide on network reinforcements by up to 70 percent.

“Triton demonstrates how innovation, data, and technology can drive positive change and accelerate progress towards our decarbonization goals. Through our collaboration with Atos we have created a product that will enable National Grid to virtually model scenarios for how, when and where we expand our network and services to meet increased demand for energy, ensuring we continue to deliver a resilient, future-ready electricity network,” said Owen Wilkes, network design director at National Grid.

Graham Scanlon, head of critical national infrastructure, Atos UK&I, said: “This tool will improve efficiency and remove risk for National Grid. They can now make smart data-based decisions quickly. We’re pleased to have been able to support both on their current operations and needs, but also on their future business. We are continually innovating on how to use technology to meet the challenge of climate change and shifting geopolitical winds.”

Triton will have access to thousands of datasets from distribution network operators and transmission owners, which the companies claim will allow it to automate complex processes and support scenario modelling to identify where reinforcements or new infrastructure will be required. It can also assess future customer connections, including data centers and embedded generation, against local and regional network capacity.

The tool will feed directly into National Grid’s engineering and monitoring systems, enabling faster model configuration and stress-testing of network options. National Grid and Atos were named joint winners of the Unlocking Data Award at the Utility Week Awards 2025 for the Triton project.

The National Grid is not the first transmission operator to deploy a digital twin to support better grid planning. In April, US Regional Transmission Operator PJM partnered with Alphabet-backed Tapestry to build the first unified grid model. In doing so, the company aims to support grid planners in better managing the grid to optimize energy flow and bring more diverse energy sources online.