CfAA and DNV partner to advance safe AI in energy sector

News

Posted on Tuesday 28 July 2026

A new Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between the CfAA and DNV Energy Systems will advance the safe and responsible use of AI in the energy sector.

Two white men in suits with pink lanyards around their necks are standing together in an exhibition hall with pull up banners behind them.

The two-year KTP will support the development of practical and industry-ready tools to support safe AI adoption and use in the energy sector and comes at a critical time in the energy transition.

Funded by Innovate UK, the collaboration brings together DNV’s industry expertise with the CfAA’s advanced safety research and will:

Develop a structured AI safety case framework tailored to energy use cases.
Create methods to assess AI risk and performance in safety-critical contexts.
Translate cutting-edge research into practical tools and guidance for real-world deployment.

Professor Simon Burton, knowledge base lead and supervisor, said:

“The KTP comes at an important time for the energy industry as regulators seek to establish confidence in AI tools and systems and energy companies seek to balance innovation and net zero commitments. DNV’s work in this area is exemplary and by combining this with the CfAA’s significant research into safety assurance of AI and autonomous systems we are creating a much-needed resource for the energy industry.”

Graham Faiz, Head of Digital Energy, DNV, said:

“AI has enormous potential to accelerate the energy transition, but only if it can be trusted in safety‑critical environments. This Knowledge Transfer Partnership allows us to combine DNV’s deep domain expertise with world‑leading academic research from the University of York, translating cutting‑edge AI assurance methods into practical tools that our clients can rely on with confidence.”

Dr Matthew Celnik, Technical Lead – Digital Energy, DNV, added:

“One of the real strengths of this KTP is that it embeds advanced academic thinking directly into our day‑to‑day delivery. By working so closely with the University of York, we can turn AI safety research into methods and frameworks that are genuinely usable by DNV teams and scalable across client projects.”

Within the CfAA the KTP will be supported by Professor Burton, Dr Calum Imrie, and a KTP Associate, who will be based in DNV’s Glasgow office. The work will include the dissemination of safety assurance innovations and practical insights that will complement our existing body of published research and guidance and support the development of future technical standards in this space.