Hitachi Energy plans to create 150 jobs in Cary as part of a new $10 million center expanding its local engineering and testing functions — the latest effort aimed at strengthening the North American power grid. 

The Zurich, Switzerland-based company, which has had a presence in the Triangle for years,  has been pouring billions of dollars to expand manufacturing, research and development and engineering to provide products such as transformers designed to make energy systems more reliable and secure.

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Last year, the company announced a $457 million plant in South Boston, Virginia, that seeks to capitalize on surging demand for transformers and other high-voltage equipment needed to support data center expansion and other power demand. 

The 32,000-square-foot Cary expansion — called the USD Power Electronics Center of Competence and scheduled to open in 2026 — is part of Hitachi Energy’s $1 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing announced in 2025, which includes the South Boston plant. 

The Cary office will be focused on the development of devices that enable customers to increase transmission capacity without building new power lines, while enhancing the stability and resilience of large, complex electrical networks. It will also serve as Hitachi Energy’s global hub for cybersecurity, helping operators protect infrastructure against increasingly sophisticated threats.

Hitachi Energy said it has been working to strengthen domestic supply chains, increase access to grid technologies and improve the company’s ability to support customers quickly through localized capabilities as reliable electricity is becoming central to economic growth and energy security, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence. 

“Demand is growing faster and the grid has become the new frontline of energy security,” Marco Berardi, Hitachi Energy’s senior vice president of grid and power quality solutions and service. “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.”

North Carolina has been a magnet for companies focused on updating the power grid to accommodate renewable energy and increased power demand.

  • In February, the Siemens Foundation launched a $9.25 million training program in North Carolina aimed at closing a skills gap and creating opportunities for people interested in electrical careers. In recent years, Siemens has announced plans to hire hundreds of jobs in the Triangle, Triad and Charlotte areas. In 2024, it announced plans to expand its Siemens Electrification and Automation U.S. headquarters in Wendell to meet demand in its growing data center, semiconductor and utility sectors.
    • A unit of Houston-based MetOx International, a maker of efficient power transmission cables, also said in 2024 that it plans to create 333 jobs and invest about $194 million in Chatham County — part of a long-range plan to provide more efficient power for data centers, medical diagnostics and more.
      • Pennsylvania Transformer Technology LLC, a maker of power and distribution transformers, said last year that it plans a $102.5 million expansion in Raeford — a project that is expected to bring 217 new jobs to the Hoke County city.
        • Last year, Waukesha, Wisconsin-based Prolec GE Waukesha — a maker of power transformers — said it planned to add up to 330 jobs and in vest $140 million in Wayne County.

          “World-class companies like Hitachi know that North Carolina is the best place to do business in America, and we welcome these high-skilled jobs coming to our state,” Gov. Josh Stein said in a statement. “North Carolina is home to innovation, which is why Hitachi is doing this grid stabilization work here.”