Image credit: Hitachi Energy

Hitachi Energy has announced a $10 million investment to establish a new Power Electronics Center of Competence in Cary, North Carolina, aimed at supporting rising electricity demand across North America.

The 32,000-square-foot facility, expected to open in fall 2026, will create 150 jobs and expand capabilities in engineering, testing, and system integration. The center is designed to accelerate time-to-power, enhance grid stability, and support customers including utilities and AI data centers.

The investment forms part of Hitachi Energy’s $1 billion U.S. manufacturing expansion, announced in 2025, which includes multiple facility upgrades and a new transformer factory in Virginia.

Marco Berardi, SVP and Head of Grid & Power Quality Solutions and Service at Hitachi Energy, said:

We are in the ‘age of electricity,’ where demand is growing faster and the grid has become the new frontline of energy security. As AI data centers reshape consumption patterns and electrification accelerates across industries, this new center will strengthen our ability to respond quickly with localized expertise, helping customers maintain grid stability, resilience and reliability.”

The center will support technologies such as STATCOMs, Fixed Series Compensation (FSC), and Synchronous Condenser Systems (SCS), enabling increased transmission capacity and improved power quality without the need for new transmission lines.

Additionally, the facility will serve as a global hub for cybersecurity solutions, helping protect critical infrastructure through secure system design, monitoring, and rapid response capabilities.

The expansion reflects growing pressure on power systems, driven by AI data centers, electrification, and renewable integration, with U.S. electricity demand projected to rise 35–50% by 2040.

Source: hitachienergy.com