Big Tech, including Microsoft, joins Big Oil at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference to integrate AI into energy operations.
Microsoft's President Brad Smith will speak, highlighting the company's significant AI investments, including $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi's AI firm G42.
The Microsoft-Adnoc report reveals that 20% of energy companies use agentic AI, with 88% of executives acknowledging its positive impact.
The conference will host discussions on AI, conventional oil, gas, and geopolitics, featuring key energy ministers and US energy delegates.
“AI has a positive effect on the energy industry and the relationship is now 'symbiotic',” the Microsoft-Adnoc report says.
Big Tech will share the stage with Big Oil at this year’s Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) as artificial intelligence continues to grow within the energy industry.
Senior executives from legacy oil companies such as BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies as well as state oil businesses as Adnoc will continue to lead the event, which will include Microsoft’s president Brad Smith on the opening day. Microsoft is increasing its regional presence and has signed multibillion dollar deals with the UAE in recent years, including committing $1.5 billion in investments in Abu Dhabi AI business G42 last year.
Microsoft is also involved in the UAE’s energy industry through a 2024 deal with Adnoc and Masdar to collaborate on carbon capture, hydrogen and ammonia projects.
AI has become increasingly important in the regional energy industry. One in five energy companies now use agentic AI, which independently makes decisions for them, according to a recent Microsoft-Adnoc report.
About 88 per cent of executives believe AI has a positive effect on energy and their industry and the relationship is now “symbiotic”, the report found.
Apart from AI, discussions on the future of energy, sustainability as well as geopolitics will continue to dominate discussions at the four-day Adipec event taking place from November 3 to 6 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
Gulf energy ministers from the UAE and Qatar will open discussions on Monday joined by counterparts from Egypt and the US’s Energy Dominance Council chairman Doug Burgum.
The US delegation will also include Deputy Energy Secretary James Danly and former assistant secretary of state for energy resources Amos Hochstein, who is now managing partner at New York holding company TWG Global.
Adipec will also feature ministers from predominantly oil-importing countries of the Middle East such as Lebanon and Jordan. Beirut is looking to kick-start its much-delayed offshore oil and gas licensing programme, which has stalled as investors backed from the country's political stalemate and impact from the Israeli-Gaza war.