Positive energy, pragmatic policies key to global growth, AI revolution: Dr Sultan Al Jaber

The world must adopt positive energy and pragmatic policies to drive economic growth and power the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology said Dr Sultan Al Jaber during his recent address at CERAWeek in Houston, Texas.

Dr Al Jaber, who is also the managing director and group CEO of ADNOC, chairman of Masdar, and executive chairman of XRG, urged global leaders to implement durable, stable policies that are “pro-growth, pro-investment, pro-energy, and pro-people” to meet surging energy demand.

“The world is finally waking up to the fact that energy is the solution. Energy is the beating heart of economies, a key driver of prosperity and fundamental to every aspect of human development. If we want a pro-growth world, we need pragmatic actions,” Dr Al Jaber said.

Energy demand and the ‘and-and’ approach

Dr Al Jaber emphasised that global energy demand is set to increase significantly, with oil demand expected to rise from 103 million to at least 109 million barrels per day by 2035.

LNG and chemicals will expand by over 40 per cent, while electricity demand will surge by 70 per cent to reach 15,000 GW, he noted.

“We will need more LNG, more low-carbon oil, more nuclear, and more commercially viable renewables to meet all this demand,” he said, advocating for an “and-and” approach that embraces a diverse mix of energy sources.

Highlighting the UAE’s leadership in the sector, Al Jaber pointed to the country’s strategic investments in renewables, nuclear energy, and low-carbon solutions.

“We have diversified into new energies, investing in 51GW of commercially viable renewable energy globally through Masdar. We have also added nuclear to our energy mix, with four reactors now generating 5.6GW of electricity, covering 25 per cent of the UAE’s power needs.”

Speaking at CERAWeek, His Excellency Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, @ADNOCGroup Managing Director and Group CEO, Chairman of @Masdar, and Executive Chairman of XRG, highlighted the role of positive energy and pragmatic actions to drive… pic.twitter.com/GiYUdNVRBt

— ADIPEC (@ADIPECOfficial) March 12, 2025

AI’s energy challenge

Dr Al Jaber linked the future of AI to energy availability, calling it a critical factor in the race for AI supremacy. “Applications like ChatGPT use 10 times as much energy as a simple Google search and are growing exponentially.

“By 2030, in the US alone, data centre power demand is expected to triple, accounting for more than 10 per cent of US electricity use. Simply put, the true cost of AI is not just in code, it’s in kilowatts. The race for AI supremacy is essentially an energy play.”

He highlighted the UAE’s plans to deepen partnerships with the US in energy-AI integration, positioning XRG, the UAE’s newly launched international energy investment company, as a key player in meeting AI’s growing power needs.

“XRG is designed to meet the fast-growing energy needs of AI in an ‘and-and’ world. Without energy, AI is just potential. With it, AI has the potential to reshape the world,” he added.

ADNOC’s AI strategy

Dr Al Jaber outlined ADNOC’s AI strategy, stating that the company has integrated artificial intelligence across its operations and developed proprietary AI solutions through AIQ, its homegrown AI company.

“Over 200 AI use cases are currently being implemented across ADNOC’s operations, from exploration to refining to logistics and strategic decision-making.

Our flagship AI initiative, ‘Energy to the Power of AI’, is applying agentic AI at an unprecedented scale. Using AI, we are speeding up our upstream seismic analysis from months to hours and increasing the accuracy of production forecasts by up to 90 per cent. We are on course to make ADNOC the most AI-enabled energy company in the world.”

Dr Sultan Al Jaber calls for global action, invites leaders to ADIPEC

Concluding his remarks, Dr Al Jaber invited global energy leaders to ADIPEC 2025 in Abu Dhabi, calling for a shift from discussion to action. “From this very stage, [US Energy] Secretary [Chris] Wright said, ‘We need more energy.’ I couldn’t agree more. We don’t just need more energy, we need more positive energy. So, I invite you to join me at ADIPEC 2025 in Abu Dhabi to turn positive energy into positive action. The modern world was built on energy; tomorrow’s world will be transformed by energy. Let’s energise the world with positive energy.”

CERAWeek runs from March 10-14, gathering the energy sector’s key leaders to explore solutions to the industry’s most pressing challenges.

ADIPEC will take place in Abu Dhabi from November 3-7, 2025.

Read: AIQ secures $340m contract to deploy agentic AI across ADNOC ops