Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration to Build More Resilient Infrastructure

A September 3, 2025, article in Idaho Business Review, “INL initiative tests limits of AI on power grid,” highlights the significant value derived from the wise use of AI to foster resilient infrastructure economically. We need more of this kind of cross-industry and cross-functional knowledge sharing and collaboration to ensure asset-intensive industries thrive alongside their energy service providers.

Globally, every industrialized economy is seeing its critical energy infrastructure under increasing stress. Severe weather, operational constraints, aging assets, and both cyber and physical threats are becoming more frequent and severe. As a result, efforts to increase beneficial knowledge sharing between key players—securely exchanging best practices and collaborating between end users and solution providers to optimize resilience—are paramount.

It’s no longer enough for individual companies to simply have their own disaster recovery plans.

A perfect example is the recent initiative by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). It launched the Testing for AI Grid Resilience (TAIGR) initiative to address the risks associated with integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into power grid systems. While AI offers immense promise—such as predicting outages and optimizing power generation—it also presents significant challenges, including the potential for AI “hallucinations” or adversarial cyberattacks that could destabilize the grid.

The TAIGR initiative at INL is more than a research project; it’s a call for collaboration. It brings together a diverse group of stakeholders—including utility operators, owners, suppliers, regulators, and researchers—to create common ground for addressing these AI-related challenges. This mirrors the type of cross-industry cooperation essential for building resilient supply chains.

The Power of Knowledge Sharing

The key to this collaborative success is knowledge sharing—it’s the lifeblood of building resilience and fostering innovation. The TAIGR initiative, by bringing different parties to the table, acknowledges a critical trend in knowledge management: bridging the gap between those who create technology and those who use it. Often, there’s a knowledge gap in the industry where vendors are eager to market new tools, but a systematic way to evaluate the risks is lacking.

This collaborative spirit is what makes a system resilient. It’s not just about technology, but about the collective intelligence and shared expertise of the people who operate and maintain it. This is particularly true for managing the “tacit knowledge” that resides in the minds of experienced operators—the unwritten rules and gut feelings that AI systems can’t yet fully replicate. By creating a voluntary, transparent program, INL is helping codify this knowledge and make it a shared asset across the industry. It demonstrates that a truly resilient system is built not just on strong assets, but also on strong, collaborative relationships.

Building for the Future

The TAIGR initiative’s focus on proactive, collaborative testing is an important step toward a more secure and reliable energy future. It recognizes that as systems become more complex and interconnected, solutions must also be more integrated. In the face of increasing uncertainties, the energy sector is wisely adopting a model of collective resilience. By drawing lessons from successful programs and leveraging collaborative frameworks, industries can ensure they are not merely reacting to crises but actively preparing for them. This approach is not about resisting new technology but about responsibly preparing for its integration.

The government’s role in supporting beneficial collaboration also provides general economic benefits. Idaho National Laboratory, for example, generates over $4 billion in economic impact annually.