The global race to scale artificial intelligence now hits a hard physical limit: AI energy demand. In fact, no algorithm—no matter how advanced—can run without electricity. Moreover, the world will need enormous amounts of power in the coming decades.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry & Advanced Technology and CEO of ADNOC, emphasized this during his keynote at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). “There is no artificial intelligence without actual energy,” he said. “Every algorithm, every data centre, every breakthrough needs power to drive it.”
Economic progress is shifting fundamentally, Al Jaber explained. For more than two centuries, nations measured strength by industrial output. Today, however, computational power and digital capability lead the way. As a result, AI transforms manufacturing, aviation, healthcare, and finance.
Yet most people underestimate this shift’s scale. For instance, global data center electricity use alone could grow by more than 500% by 2040. Meanwhile, traditional energy needs keep rising. Air travel will double. Cities will add 1.5 billion residents.
Therefore, meeting this dual demand requires realism—not ideology. “Over 70% of this energy will still come from hydrocarbons,” Al Jaber noted. “And when some see this as a constraint, I see it as a catalyst.”
Consequently, the UAE built an integrated energy strategy. Specifically, it combines lower-carbon hydrocarbons, solar, nuclear, and wind into one resilient platform. “The world still needs molecules to make electrons,” Al Jaber said. In response, the country invests across the entire energy spectrum—from Masdar’s record-breaking solar farms to next-generation nuclear projects.
Technology plays two roles: it consumes energy and optimizes it. Indeed, Al Jaber called AI “the operating system of our industrial society.” Accordingly, the UAE now embeds AI in oil fields, power grids, and factories to boost efficiency, cut waste, and increase output.
Above all, pragmatism drives this approach. “Progress must root itself in reality, not rhetoric,” Al Jaber insisted. “It must be resilient, not theoretical—practical, not ideological. Simply put, we follow the data, not the drama.”
This mindset strongly attracts global tech firms and investors. After all, as AI and data centers grow more energy-intensive, they need three things: stable power, clear regulations, and long-term infrastructure. Fortunately, the UAE delivers all three.
Partnership remains central to the UAE’s vision. In addition, Al Jaber described the country as an “open platform” for collaboration in energy, technology, and capital. “We never let short-term noise distract us,” he said. “We always focus on the world a generation ahead.”
Ultimately, the message to companies building AI or data centers is clear: dependable energy and high-tech infrastructure are available “in abundance”—but only for those ready to commit long term.
Looking ahead, the next phase of global growth will depend on one critical alignment: matching digital ambition with reliable energy supply. And right now, the UAE positions itself at that intersection. “If you want to engineer the future,” Al Jaber declared, “this is where that work happens. The corridor to the future runs through the UAE.”
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