Adnoc’s managing director and group chief executive, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, has urged global leaders to accelerate investment in energy infrastructure to meet the rising demand driven by artificial intelligence, data centres and economic expansion. Speaking at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), Dr Al Jaber said the world requires more than $4 trillion in annual investment to sustain new grids, data centres and diversified energy supply.

“We need massive capital investment. We are talking about more than $4 trillion annually to cover grids, data centres and all sources of energy supply,” he said, emphasising that AI growth and digitalisation are intensifying demand for reliable, low-carbon power.

Gas, which provides over a quarter of the baseload power for data centres, remains essential amid a shortage of gas turbines that has driven up electricity prices. Dr Al Jaber noted that infrastructure development must keep pace with digital expansion, saying, “We need at least six million kilometres of new transmission lines by 2050. You simply can’t run tomorrow’s economy on yesterday’s grid.”

A recent Adnoc-Microsoft report revealed that one in five energy companies now use agentic AI, which autonomously manages complex operations, with 88 per cent of executives viewing AI as a positive force in the sector.

Adnoc is positioning itself as the most “AI native energy company” through new collaborations. On Sunday, it signed an agreement with Microsoft to develop AI agents and three deals with Gecko Robotics to enhance operational efficiency and workforce training through robotics and AI.

Dr Al Jaber highlighted the UAE’s pragmatic, technology-driven energy policy as a global model, stating, “Our response to meet that demand should focus on the data, not the drama.”

Read the full article for deeper insights into Adnoc’s AI-driven energy transformation.