Atombeam & Trilliant boost smart grid data traffic

Atombeam has partnered with Trilliant to move grid-edge data more efficiently across advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) networks used by utilities and smart cities.

The companies plan to pair Trilliant's communications and grid-edge data platform with Atombeam's Neurpac software. The package is aimed at utilities managing growing data volumes from smart meters, grid sensors and distributed energy resources such as solar and wind.

Utilities are adding more connected devices on distribution networks as they roll out smart metering and monitor new loads such as electric vehicles. The shift increases bandwidth demand and strains communications networks, particularly in rural areas where connectivity options can be limited.

Trilliant supplies AMI communications networks and grid-edge data platforms. It positions its platform as device-independent, allowing utilities to mix and match meter and device suppliers. Trilliant says the platform manages more than 2.7 terabytes of data each day.

Data compaction

Atombeam develops data compression and optimisation software designed to reduce the size of data in transit. It says Neurpac can cut data size by 75 per cent and increase available network bandwidth by a factor of four or more.

Neurpac uses what Atombeam calls Data-as-Codewords, described as an AI-powered approach that replaces traditional human-readable code structures with machine-optimised patterns. Atombeam also says the method improves security even before encryption is applied.

The partnership is a technology sales and marketing agreement. The companies have not disclosed commercial terms, pricing or deployment timelines for joint customers.

Trilliant demonstrated the combined approach at DISTRIBUTECH International 2026, where Atombeam presented its compaction technology at Trilliant's booth. The demonstration showed a 75 per cent reduction in data size, according to the companies.

The companies framed the combined offering around moving data from grid-edge devices to the head-end system, which utilities commonly use to collect and manage meter and network data. They said the approach enables more real-time analytics over constrained networks and reduces the risk of saturating communications links.

"Trilliant revolutionized the very concept of the modern grid by providing customers with a platform that delivers a paradigm shift in performance and can be built with the meters and devices of their choice," said Charles Yeomans, Founder and CEO, Atombeam. "In turn, Neurpac makes it possible for operations to exponentially accelerate the movement of data on those same grids - eliminating latency, dramatically increasing available bandwidth and enabling a profound shift in security - all with software that's light enough to protect and optimize even the smallest sensors at the edge. Together, Trilliant and Atombeam upend the economics and the expectations associated with the most advanced grids."

Network constraints

Atombeam says Neurpac is already used in projects with the US military and has deployments in sectors such as financial services and other bandwidth-constrained environments.

The company says the technology can be applied across wired, cellular, Wi-Fi and satellite networks. That range matters for utilities operating across dense urban areas and remote territories with varied communications options.

Trilliant, which sells to utilities and smart cities, has expanded beyond meter communications into broader grid-edge data management and applications. It has argued that a device-independent approach reduces lock-in risk as utilities add new endpoints and applications over time.

Jim Madej, Trilliant's President and CEO, said utilities are running more data across networks that were not built for that level of traffic.

"Utilities are pushing more data across networks for which they were never designed," Madej said. "Together, Atombeam and Trilliant can help utilities deliver significantly more data securely across constrained networks and unlock real-time intelligence without adding complexity or cost."

Partner line-up

Trilliant also showcased work with AZX at the event. AZX provides AI transformation services for the energy and utilities sector. The companies said they have designed a pathway for an AI-enabled network built around Trilliant's platform and AI tooling from AZX.

With Atombeam focused on data compaction and transport and AZX on analytics and AI, Trilliant is positioning a partner ecosystem that spans data collection at the edge through to operational insights. The companies said the goal is a more continuous flow of data from devices to the systems grid operators use for decision-making.

The companies said rising data volumes from distributed energy resources, electrification and grid modernisation programmes will increase pressure on communications networks. They positioned software-based optimisation as a way to extend existing infrastructure as utilities scale monitoring and control across more endpoints.