ADNOC CEO Sultan al-Jaber at the ADIPEC opening ceremony
Letter from Abu Dhabi: AI and the new energy guzzlers
The energy sector will need all viable technologies to meet surging demand as AI and datacentres drain power grids
This year’s ADIPEC conference took place against a backdrop of acute geopolitical risk for global energy markets, from conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine to trade tensions and a contentious US election with potentially big ramifications for the industry. But it was hard not to conclude that an even bigger disruptor was the showstopper in Abu Dhabi: AI. This technology’s influence over energy supply and demand is growing at a rate that threatens to wrongfoot swathes of the industry. “This is probably the biggest revolution that we will see in our careers on productivity and enhancement” Auchincloss, BP AI and datacentres are the new energy guzzlers. They are already driving up e
Also in this section
27 November 2024
The agreement by the parties to raise at least $300b/yr for developing countries by 2035 was derided as a betrayal by the Global South, but the UN urged pragmatism
26 November 2024
Agreements on how to operationalise both Article 6.2 and 6.4 will mean countries can start to trade emissions reductions as part of their contributions to the Paris Agreement
22 November 2024
The Energy Transition Advancement Index highlights how the Kingdom can ease its oil dependency and catch up with peers Norway and UAE
21 November 2024
E&P company is charting its own course through the transition, with a highly focused natural gas portfolio, early action on its own emissions and the development of a major carbon storage project
