2PointZero’s Mariam Almheiri says countries should be racing to build AI energy infrastructure

Mariam Almheiri, the managing director of Abu Dhabi investment platform 2PointZero, says countries that want to lead the artificial intelligence race must move quickly to build the energy and infrastructure needed to support it.

“People think that AI is a technology story,” Almheiri said at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum in Washington this week. “It’s not. It’s an energy story. It’s an infrastructure story and ultimately a competitiveness story.”

Almheiri, who is also 2PointZero’s vice chair, said governments should treat data centers as critical national infrastructure, comparing them to the ports and airports that helped drive economic growth in earlier decades.

Speaking on a panel at the energy conference on Tuesday, Almheiri argued that the challenges posed by AI cannot be solved by a single company or country and will require partnerships spanning energy production, supply chains, connectivity, critical minerals and financing.

2PointZero, part of the business empire of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, the UAE National Security Advisor, and one of Abu Dhabi’s fastest-growing investment platforms, is targeting those bottlenecks through its energy unit, ePointZero, Almheiri said. The subsidiary recently agreed to acquire U.S. gas infrastructure company Traverse Midstream Partners for $2.25 billion.

Almheiri, previously the UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said the ability to move quickly will determine who wins the AI race, noting that major energy projects can take years to win approval and begin construction. “AI is moving at digital speed, but energy infrastructure is moving at physical infrastructure speed,” she said. “The gap is too big. We cannot wait seven to 10 years.”