His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, Chairman of Masdar, and Executive Chairman of XRG, emphasized the need for positive energy and pragmatic actions to fuel global growth and accelerate the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking at CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, Dr. Al Jaber emphasized the need for durable, stable policies to address rising energy demand. He highlighted energy as the foundation of economies and human development, calling for pragmatic, pro-growth policies that support investment, energy expansion, and people’s well-being.
Dr. Al Jaber stressed the need for an inclusive energy approach to meet growing global demand. He projected that by 2035, the population would reach 9 billion, driving a surge in oil, LNG, chemicals, and electricity demand. To address this, he emphasized the need for more LNG, low-carbon oil, nuclear energy, and commercially viable renewables.
Dr. Al Jaber highlighted the UAE’s pragmatic energy strategy, expanding from oil and gas to renewables, nuclear, chemicals, and low-carbon solutions. With seven decades of expertise, the UAE produces low-carbon oil and has invested in 51 GW of renewable energy through Masdar. Its nuclear program now generates 5.6GW, meeting 25% of the nation’s power needs.
Dr. Al Jaber emphasized the UAE’s role in COP28, where the UAE Consensus brought all parties together for a practical, market-driven approach, highlighting that sustainable progress requires reliable, affordable, and secure energy. He also pointed out that AI’s growth, such as applications like ChatGPT, demands significant energy, with data centre power needs set to triple by 2030.
According to Dr. Al Jaber, access to energy supply and infrastructure provides a competitive advantage. He emphasized the UAE’s opportunity to expand investments and strengthen partnerships with the US across various sectors, particularly in the energy-AI nexus. He also underscored the role of XRG, the UAE’s newly launched international energy investment company, in addressing growing energy demands.
Dr. Al Jaber stated that XRG is designed to meet the rapidly growing energy demands of AI in an ‘and-and’ world. He emphasized that without energy, AI remains mere potential, but with it, AI has the power to transform the world.
Dr. Al Jaber highlighted ADNOC’s extensive AI integration, implemented over the past five years across its entire value chain. Through its AI subsidiary, AIQ, ADNOC has deployed over 200 AI use cases in exploration, refining, logistics, and decision-making. Its flagship initiative, Energy to the Power of AI, accelerates seismic analysis, enhances production forecast accuracy by 90%, and aims to make ADNOC the most AI-enabled energy company globally.
Dr. Al Jaber emphasized the need to turn positive energy into action and invited global energy leaders to ADIPEC 2025 in Abu Dhabi. He stressed that while more energy is needed, it must be positive energy to transform the future. He called for collaboration at the event to energize the world and drive meaningful change.
CERAWeek, held from March 10-14, brings together leading energy industry experts to explore innovative ideas, insights, and solutions to address the major challenges shaping the future of energy, the environment, and climate.
