UAE Minister Says Positive Energy, Pragmatic Actions Key To Global Growth And AI Expansion

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and CEO of ADNOC, stressed the importance of positive energy and practical actions to drive global growth and support the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking at CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, he stressed the importance of stable policies to meet rising energy demands. He highlighted that energy is essential for economies, prosperity, and human development, WAM reported.

Al Jaber urged for growth-focused policies that support investment, energy, and people. He explained that meeting the rapid global growth in energy demand will require using all available energy sources.

He noted that with the world's population expected to approach 9 billion by 2035, oil demand is projected to rise from 103 to at least 109 million barrels per day, LNG and chemicals could grow by over 40% and overall electricity demand may surge by 70%—from 9,000GW to 15,000GW.

Meeting these increases will require additional supplies of LNG, low-carbon oil, nuclear energy, and commercially viable renewable power. Al Jaber also described how the UAE has adopted a practical combined approach by extending its long-standing oil and gas expertise into other energy sectors such as renewables, nuclear power, chemicals, and low-carbon options.

Building on seven decades of experience, the UAE now produces some of the world's least carbon-intensive oil, has invested in 51GW of renewable energy globally through Masdar, and added nuclear power with four reactors that generate 5.6GW—accounting for 25% of the nation's electricity needs.

Al Jaber emphasized that the UAE played a key role in bringing practical energy discussions into the climate debate as the host of COP28.

He highlighted that the UAE Consensus was a breakthrough because it included all stakeholders and focused on real-world market conditions rather than unrealistic mandates. He stressed that sustainable progress depends on having reliable, affordable, and secure energy.

Al Jaber also pointed out that artificial intelligence is heavily dependent on energy and has the potential to transform the world. AI applications, such as ChatGPT, consume significantly more energy than a basic online search, and their demand is rising quickly.

By 2030, data centers in the U.S. alone are expected to triple their power consumption, making up over 10% of the country's electricity use.

He explained that AI expansion relies on energy availability, as the true cost of AI is not just in software development but also in electricity consumption. He described the global AI race as being fundamentally linked to energy supply.