As artificial intelligence scales, so does the challenge of powering it. New data centers demand more advanced power and control systems that reliably deliver massive quantities of energy. Researchers are developing flexible, efficient infrastructure designed for the next generation of computing.

With demand for electricity rising fast, expanding access to power while reducing emissions is becoming more urgent. Getting there will require new systems, new ways of working, and, most importantly, people who can bring it all together.

On April 22, as the world marked Earth Day, 15 GE Vernova employees gathered at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell. They represented thousands working across regions, roles, and technologies, united by a shared mission to electrify the world while building a more sustainable energy future.

How does one of the world’s fastest-growing economies keep the lights on while rewiring its future to meet the needs and goals of a net-zero world? This is the question being asked today in Vietnam, a nation at an exciting crossroads, balancing rapid economic growth with the imperative to build a cleaner, more resilient energy system.

Wind power is entering a period of accelerated growth. By the end of the decade, global capacity is expected to nearly double, to more than 2,000 gigawatts. Meeting that demand will require not only new factories, but more from the ones already operating — producing at greater scale, moving faster, and operating more efficiently.

The world’s energy challenges unfold on long timelines, stretching across generations. Addressing them requires sustained innovation, driven by people with curiosity, creativity, and collaborative instincts — many of whom are still children today.

In today’s fast-paced world of innovation and transformation, staying ahead means more than just delivering high-quality, world-class technology and energy systems. It means investing in the people behind them.

When a company’s people grow, the business grows too. That’s why learning, development, and personal growth are important to GE Vernova. Its technical academies take employees on a learning journey through bespoke training programs that feature technical experts, classroom training, and hands-on opportunities.

Earlier this year, GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik wrote that helping to solve the energy challenges of tomorrow depends on the “gritty, never-give-up” hopefulness of its 75,000 employees. “What we’ve learned in our first historic year as GE Vernova is that the best way to do this starts on our factory floors, at the installed base, and in our research centers, all guided by a relentless sense of optimism in our capacity to create and lead positive change.”

Statistics reflect what leaders like Yogini Parkhi know from experience. At a key moment in many girls’ lives, they’re nudged away from interests like math and science. “I know it happened to me growing up in India,” says Parkhi, the engineering leader for GE Vernova’s Grid OS Data Fabric and Connect business. She saw the same thing happen with her daughter years later in the States. “When she was 10 she could solve a Rubik’s Cube in 50 seconds,” Parkhi recalls.

This past May, 12 U.S. military veterans joined forces to carry an American flag 3,000 miles from San Diego to Washington, D.C. Team Red, White & Blue completed the Old Glory Ultra Relay in a record time of less than 17 days, raising more than $1 million for the cause of veterans’ health and wellness. One of those dozen men and women was Jordan Buck, an Army vet and steelworker in lean operations at GE Vernova’s manufacturing facility in Schenectady, New York.

Give Jackie Chimiak an unprecedented challenge and she’ll find a way to meet it.