AI: the emerging utility powering energy transformation

Global energy demand has continued to rise at an average of 1% between 2019 and 2024. With continued economic development, expansive industrialisation is set to come with the requirement to access more reliable sources of energy.

This dynamic needs to be considered in the context of carbon emissions, which have grown by an average rate of 0.6% per annum between 2019 and 2024. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an important change engine in this regard, with proofs of concept of the technology at work within the energy sector, and experimental pilots having matured into scalable, real-world applications. AI has the potential to become a key strategic asset in the industry.

AIQ’s large-scale deployments of AI-enabled solutions are premised on three pivotal elements within the wider energy/AI matrix: Access to high-quality data; resilient computer infrastructure; and expert talent. In Abu Dhabi, G42’s “Intelligence Grid” initiative is already establishing applied intelligence as a ubiquitous utility, akin to electricity, through integrated infrastructure, policies, and user interfaces.

AI should be recognised as an investment that yields exponential returns, despite any initial implementation costs or complexities. AIQ’s strategy focuses on digitalising only the most impactful infrastructure before layering AI. This means a dramatic reduction in digitalisation-related capital expenditure. The UAE’s progressive regulatory environment, prioritising data privacy and cybersecurity, provides an enabling backdrop fundamental to AIQ’s ability to foster secure AI innovation, offering replicable models for global adoption.

A paradigm shift

AIQ has ascended to unicorn status in five years, valued at over $1.4 billion. This is attributable to its privileged access to vast amounts of operational data from its shareholder and customer ADNOC, advanced analytics and cloud infrastructure from Presight, a G42 portfolio company, and energy experts working alongside data-driven professionals within AIQ. Currently, AIQ’s 14 AI-enabled products are active across producing wells, rigs, reservoirs, and vessels, and the company seeks to export this experience gained in the UAE, internationally.

Agentic AI

AIQ’s in-the-field experience has been brought to bear in its development of a pioneering agentic AI framework for energy, ENERGYai, which clinched a landmark $340 million contract in March. ENERGYai harnesses PhD-level AI agents capable of perceiving, learning, thinking, and acting autonomously on routine tasks while streamlining workflows.

AIQ continues to expand its technological coalition of willing partners, having recently announced plans to collaborate closely with SLB, a global energy technology company, to advance its continued development and deployment of ENERGYai across ADNOC’s subsurface operations. Early indications of the solution’s capabilities in a test environment using 15% of ADNOC’s data, and looking specifically at two fields, resulted in a seismic agent achieving a tenfold increase in the speed of seismic interpretation and a 70% increase in precision.

AIQ aims to offer its solutions internationally, bolstered by its experience in the UAE, coupled with access to Presight’s distribution networks.

The outcome: An energy landscape that maximises output with minimal ecological impact, ensuring enduring competitiveness and more sustainable industrialisation for all.