Adnoc CEO backs AI to stimulate energy sector growth
MEED | Middle East Economic Digest
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Sultan Al-Jaber unveils artificial intelligence platform that Adnoc has developed along with AIQ, G42 and Microsoft
Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, managing director and group CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group), has highlighted the interconnectedness of energy and artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential to transform energy systems.
In his keynote address at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), Al-Jaber appealed for an integrated, cross-sectoral response to meet?the fast-growing energy needs of AI.
Al-Jaber, who is also the UAE's Industry & Advanced Technology Minister, said that the UAE has built an AI ecosystem that is fostering growth and low-carbon development.?
He said the adoption of AI is also accelerating Adnoc’s growth strategy.
“For Adnoc, AI stands for applied intelligence. We chose to be one of the earliest adopters, because we saw it as a strategic imperative to drive efficiency, unlock value, enhance growth, lower emissions and future-proof our business,” he said.
Al-Jaber also announced the launch of ENERGYai (Energy to the Power of AI), a new AI system that Adnoc has developed in partnership with Abu Dhabi-based firms AIQ and G42, as well as technology giant Microsoft. The platform will be the first to apply agentic AI at scale within the energy industry and is?capable of autonomously analysing vast datasets, making real-time decisions?and driving operational improvements.
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ENERGYai will combine large language model technology with AI agents?that are trained in specific tasks across Adnoc’s value chain.
These specialised AI agents bring autonomy and precision to critical tasks, from seismic analysis to energy efficiency and real-time process monitoring. Designed for seamless integration into existing workflows, the agents harness machine learning and predictive analytics, improving decision-making and operational efficiency.
Built using 80 years of Adnoc’s data, the three-year development programme for ENERGYai?will begin testing with real-world datasets by the end of 2024 in several specific areas. It is projected that the system?will cut by up to 75% the time it takes to build detailed geological models using very large and diverse datasets to support planning and development of large-scale carbon dioxide storage solutions.
In development planning, Adnoc says the new AI system?will accelerate plans from one to two years to weeks, minimising costs and emissions in the process. It?can analyse several scenarios in parallel, and this ability to run detailed, advanced simulations across all variables helps make faster and more accurate decisions.
Further along the value chain in the downstream business, the?future-proof and scalable design?of ENERGYai?integrates?with Adnoc’s existing technologies and platforms.
“It will not only analyse petabytes of data, it will proactively and autonomously identify operational improvements. It will perceive, think, learn and act. It will speed up seismic surveys from months to days. It will increase the accuracy of production forecasts by up to 90%. And it will be a powerhouse for value creation, efficiency and sustainable energy production that can benefit the whole industry,” Al-Jaber said.
Energy trends
AI is among three "megatrends" in the global energy sector that Al-Jaber highlighted in his opening remarks at Adipec, with the other two being the rise of emerging markets and energy system transformation. He said that harnessing the megatrends requires unprecedented cross-sectoral integration to accelerate sustainable growth.
Al-Jaber noted that targeted investment, enhanced grid and energy infrastructure and enabling policies and regulations are crucial to unlocking the transformative potential of the megatrends.
Adnoc, he added, is embracing the megatrends and pivoting to new opportunities across the energy value chain and around the world to future-proof its business, decarbonise and deliver long-term sustainable value.
He said that by 2050, the world’s population will grow by a further 1.7 billion, mostly in the Global South, and as a result, energy markets must shift and grow, and energy systems must be transformed.
“Wind and solar will expand seven times. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) will grow by 65%. Oil will continue to be used for fuel and as a building block for many essential products. And as the world becomes increasingly urban, demand for electricity will double.
“Adding to this demand is AI. AI is one of those era-defining breakthroughs that is changing the pace of change itself. It is redefining the boundaries of productivity and efficiency. And it has the potential to accelerate the transformation of energy systems and to supercharge low-carbon growth.
“But the exponential growth of AI is also creating a power surge that no one anticipated 18 months ago. That’s when ChatGPT took off. A single prompt on ChatGPT needs 10 times more energy than a Google search. As AI expands, it will rely on a massive scale-up of data centres for its huge and fast-growing computational needs. Over the next six years, data centres will more than double, requiring at least 150GW of installed capacity by 2030 and double that again by 2040,” Al-Jaber said.
He noted that no single source of energy is going to be enough to cater to this demand, and that meeting this demand sustainably will require harnessing diverse energy sources, from renewables and nuclear to LNG, alongside advanced infrastructure and increased investment.
“We need more infrastructure that is fit for purpose and fit for the future. We need investment in the power sector to grow to at least $1.5tn per year. We need enabling policies and regulations to accelerate and protect those investments. And we need to leverage AI’s potential to optimise energy sources, predict peaks and dips in demand and enhance battery storage,” Al-Jaber said.
“The train is leaving the station.?What we decide right now will decide our destiny. This is a moment that will separate leaders from those who are left behind. And, when called on to lead, this industry always steps up,” he concluded.