UAE boosting use of AI in physical world, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber says

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and its top oil executive told a Washington audience that the country is moving to a new stage of artificial intelligence, using the technology to run business operations and develop its infrastructure.

“In the first phase AI helped generate content. It helped analyze information and automate workflows,” Dr. Al Jaber said Wednesday in a webcast interview with the Atlantic Council. “In the next phase, AI is helping us operate physical systems through robotics, autonomous inspections, intelligent infrastructure, and real-time operational optimization,” he said.

Dr. Al Jaber, who is Group CEO of the UAE’s ADNOC national oil company, linked AI directly to energy production and said the firm is deploying thousands of agentic AI and robotic applications. “The AI race is an electron race, and countries that can provide reliable, scalable, and affordable power will have a major competitive edge and a major strategic advantage,” he said, speaking from his office in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE has emerged as one of the world’s most aggressive state-backed AI investors through firms such as G42 and MGX. UAE funds have invested in OpenAI, xAI and Anthropic, while G42 teamed up with Nvidia on the massive Stargate data center project in Abu Dhabi.

The Emirati cabinet minister said government funds will continue to put money into U.S. companies despite disruptions from the Iran war and volatility in global oil markets.

“We invest in America because we believe in America,” Dr. Al Jaber said. “We believe in its energy resources, its capital markets, its innovation ecosystem, and its people and the quality of the ecosystem that has been created that helps attract investments.”

The minister’s remarks at the Atlantic Council event come as the UAE tries to protect its oil exports from disruptions tied to the Iran war after shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was severely affected and facilities linked to ADNOC were targeted during the conflict.

The UAE, one of the world’s largest oil exporters, formally announced on April 28 that it would withdraw from OPEC, with the decision taking effect on May 1. Officials argued that OPEC production quotas were limiting Abu Dhabi’s ability to expand output despite billions of dollars in investment in new oil capacity.

XRG Executive Chairman Sultan Al Jaber takes on role as CEO

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, meanwhile, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADIPEC’s official host, has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of XRG, the international investment arm of national energy company ADNOC.

Al Jaber was already XRG’s Executive Chairman before formally taking the CEO title, following the retirement of Khaled Salmeen, XRG’s former Chief Operating Officer, Bloomberg reports.

Al Jaber is also Group CEO of ADNOC, Chairman of renewable energy firm Masdar and he served as President of the U.N.’s COP28 climate conference that was hosted by the UAE two years ago.

ADNOC’s Al Jaber pledges sixfold increase in new U.S. investments

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chief Executive of the state-owned ADNOC oil company, pledged to boost investments in the U.S. by sixfold during a conference in Washington.

Calling for a global overhaul of national power grids to accommodate the massive demands of artificial intelligence, Al Jaber told the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum on Tuesday that the industry must upgrade its technology while utilizing the broadest menu of resources, including oil, gas, nuclear and renewables.

“You can’t run tomorrow’s technology on yesterday’s grid,” Al Jaber said. “Many of our grids were built for a completely different century.” 

XRG, ADNOC’s new international investment arm, plans to inject some $440 billion into the U.S. energy industry over the next decade, Al Jaber said.

The fund is an investor in Houston, Texas-based NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG export facility while Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar, partly owned by ADNOC, has developed 5.5GW of production and storage capacity “from coast to coast,”, Al Jaber said.

Touching on the war between Israel and Iran, Al Jaber called on all parties to show restraint. “The United Arab Emirates stands for dialogue, for de-escalation and diplomacy,” he said.

“We reaffirm our belief in peace over provocation, calm over confrontation and progress through partnership, and only partnership,” Al Jaber said.

Egypt turns to space agency to help tackle water scarcity

The effects of climate change, population pressures and a regional struggle which has seen vast water resources diverted from the Nile to a dam in Ethiopia have all left Egypt rapidly approaching a state of severe water scarcity.

National authorities are now hoping to put advanced technology to work to help avert a crisis, by bringing in its space agency to revolutionize the study and sustainable management of water resources.

A cooperation agreement between the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences and the National Water Research Center was announced on Tuesday to spearhead these efforts.

Under the deal, the agencies will join forces to develop innovative solutions for water management, including smart systems aided by aerial and ground sensors, advanced imaging and Internet of Things technologies.