Five takeaways from ADIPEC 2025: tracking the signal in a world of noise

H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, opened ADIPEC 2025 with an unambiguous call, urging the energy industry to “track the signal, tune out the noise” and, in meeting global energy needs, to “focus on the data, not the drama”. That fact-based directive resonated clearly throughout the record-breaking four days of conference and exhibitions last week among executives, experts, and attendees who gathered in Abu Dhabi to define the energy future.

Here are the five key takeaways from the 41^st edition of ADIPEC:

Putting the spotlight on energy addition

H.E. Dr. Al Jaber’s message was rooted in estimated fourfold surge in power demand from data centres, doubling the global airline fleet to 50,000 aircraft, and migration of 1.5 billion people into cities by 2040. This scenario requires an “energy addition” mindset – reinforcement, not replacement. Every source will be needed, also because there are hundreds of millions people worldwide who still lack consistent access to electricity.

Renewables will more than double within 15 years, LNG will continue to expand, and oil demand will remain strong, especially for mobility and materials. “I'm convinced that what we observe is a convergence between the famous world of the molecules and the world of electrons,” said Patrick Pouyanne, Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies. “I don't know why people want to oppose both. The reality is that energy, you can produce it from molecules, and you can produce it from electrons.”

AI’s dual role to shape the future of energy

The new top driver of energy demand growth is artificial intelligence (AI), with a dual role - being a hungry consumer and a pace optimiser. As the U.S. Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum observed, “We used to say that knowledge is power. Now, for the first time in history, power is knowledge.”

The data revolution, far from complete, is now entering a new phase after the digital and the physical ones - with the quantum on the horizon, industry leaders find it premature to quantify AI’s full impact on the industry. They are optimistic on the scope of data and humanoid technologies as catalysts for more safety, efficiency, and enhanced human capability – thanks to tools and robots that can respectively deliver real-time insights and make field work safer and smarter.

“I see the quantum computers directing humanoids coming to our industries to operate in this hazardous and dangerous environment so that we increase the quality of life of our people with their families, and they can do something else,” said Miguel Ángel López Borrego, CEO of Thyssenkrupp, citing those who are “on a ship for months” or in a warehouse as likely and positively affected.

Still, this fourth industrial revolution in human and energy industry (after mechanisation, mass production, and information technology) cannot unfold in isolation. It demands intelligent system planning, vigilant cybersecurity, and massive investments in the infrastructure.

Energy infrastructure needs an urgent upgrade

The physical and financial challenges are immense. As H.E. Dr. Al Jaber said, more than $4 trillion in annual investment is needed to meet global energy goals. The consensus is that capital is available – the real test is to take action urgently and adequately, especially in the energy infrastructure sector that after half a century or more of service, requires refurbishment, replacement or new initiatives.

In Africa, the Nigeria–Morocco pipeline is one such example of new initiatives and opportunities. “It’s not just a pipeline; it’s a corridor of opportunity connecting West and North Africa,” the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) Chief Executive Officer Bayo Bashir Ojulari said. Stretching from the Niger Delta through 13 countries along the Atlantic coast to Morocco – and ultimately into Europe – the project aims to link economies, unlock stranded gas reserves, and supply both African and European markets.

In the Gulf, the UAE has positioned itself as a stable hub where international stakeholders can count on governance, predictability, and solid returns. “It just remains just such an attractive place for capital flow,” said Eric Cantor, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Moelis & Company. “If you're thinking about these asset managers in in the West, they're looking for reliable sort of infrastructure plays, it is abundant, given the velocity of investment here in Abu Dhabi and other places in the Gulf.”

Adopting pragmatic pathways for a lower carbon future

The dramatic growth in energy demand calls also for a revised and pragmatic path for the efforts to reduce the energy’s CO2 footprint. Talk and new plans for lower carbon and green hydrogen will have to turn into tangible and practical action – with Gulf countries once again expected to lead by example.

Gas remains central to a reliable, lower-carbon supply, according to Naser Al Hajri, Corporate Operation Chief Officer at  Mubadala Energy. “About 70% of our portfolio is gas,” he said. “Energy transition must include energy addition - expanding access while cutting emissions.”

And nuclear energy is poised for revival as part of this diversification. Japan new Prime Minister Saner Takaichi’s “first priority on energy policy is how to regain momentum for nuclear,” noted Jun Arima, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Japan Organisation of Metal and Energy Security (JOGMEC). “She's very interested not only in restarting nuclear – she’s also interested in innovative new reactors, including high temperature gas reactors, and in fusion.”

Dial C for Collaboration

Be it innovation, capital, strategies, or policies, collaboration across the energy sector, as well as partnerships across sectors, remain essential. Khalid Bin Hadi, Managing Director of Siemens Energy UAE, said his company is now focusing on end-to-end solutions from generation to distribution. “Innovation is about solving problems,” he noted. “We can’t develop the right technologies without the right partners. It’s about partnerships, investment, and people.”

In an age of continuous innovation where the global energy landscape is evolving rapidly, keeping the spotlight on human collaboration and intelligence may prove to be the most precious energy of all.