Utilities are under unprecedented pressure to meet accelerating demand across generation, transmission, and distribution. Yet one of the most critical building blocks of the grid, the substation, remains constrained by legacy architectures and project-specific designs. Traditional substations have been engineered as bespoke systems, where hardware dictates functionality and integration. As the grid evolves to support distributed energy resources, electrification, AI-driven data centers, and growing reliability requirements, this approach is no longer sustainable.
A new model is emerging: software-defined, standards-based substations that decouple applications from proprietary hardware. By leveraging virtualization, interoperability, and open architectures, utilities can improve asset utilization, deploy new capabilities faster, enhance cyber resilience, and maximize the value of existing infrastructure while reducing lifecycle costs.
To accelerate this transformation, utility leaders, technology providers, OEMs, EPCs, and industry innovators have come together through the Virtual Protection, Automation and Control (vPAC) Alliance. Working collaboratively, vPAC Alliance members are advancing the next generation of intelligent substations. Their collective vision is to help utilities modernize critical infrastructure with greater flexibility, scalability, and vendor choice.
In this four-part Frontier Forum series, presented in partnership with the vPAC Alliance, we will examine the case for substation modernization, discuss the standards and architectures required to enable interoperability, share implementation best practices, and explore the operational and economic benefits unlocked by software-defined substations.
The first session will establish the foundation for the series by exploring why the industry must rethink traditional substation design. Prithpal Khajuria, energy and utilities segment leader at Intel and chairman of the vPAC Alliance, together with Scott Bricker, senior manager of system automation at PG&E and a vPAC Alliance member representative, will discuss how standards-based, software-defined substations can help utilities address growing grid complexity, improve operational agility, and prepare for the demands of a more electrified and digital future.
Can’t join the event live? Register to receive a recording after the event.
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