Southern Company announced Wednesday plans to open an innovation center at Georgia Tech.

The Energy Innovation Center – which will be located in Tech Square – will look for better, more reliable and more efficient ways to increase value for customers through products and services.

“The Energy Innovation Center is a concrete example of Southern Company’s decades-long commitment to harnessing the power of innovation for the benefit of the families our utilities serve,” said Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. “We look forward to collaborating with Georgia Tech and other strategic partners to develop the next generation of energy technologies and customer-focused programs.”

The center will become a place where ideas, innovation and investment will intersect to develop a better customer experience.

“Southern Company and Georgia Tech have collaborated in numerous areas through the years, and now we are delighted to welcome them to Technology Square,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson.

“As the most recent addition, Southern Company’s presence in Tech Square will continue the growing momentum of the Southeast’s premier innovation ecosystem,” he said.  “We look forward to increased opportunities to partner as they pursue customer-focused energy innovation.”

The company joins a number of corporate giants that have come to Georgia Tech to create innovation and research centers. Others include: AT&T Mobility, Home Depot, Panasonic Automotive Systems Co. and ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas.