US sees UAE as strategic partner in energy ‘arms race’

The world is in an “arms race” to build the energy infrastructure needed to power AI, US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has told The National.

“This is the first time in history that you can take a kilowatt of electricity and actually convert it directly into intelligence,” Mr Burgum said ahead of a meeting of global energy executives and ministers in Abu Dhabi this week.

“The arms race is really about which country, which economies can build the electrical power fast enough to be able to fuel what is going to be the biggest productivity and innovation game changer in any of our lifetimes.”

Goal of AI should be to improve quality of life, says UAE minister

Mr Burgum believes that the race to power AI will drive the “next industrial revolution”.

We’re way ahead on chips and software but all those things take more and more power

US Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum

“With artificial intelligence, both for the digital world and for the physical world, it's going to be transformational,” he said. “It’s going to be a driver of where capital flows and it's going to be a driver of GDP growth in countries. The race is on.”

American and Chinese tech firms are racing to build the best AI technology and infrastructure at the best competitive price.

As America looks to win the AI race, Mr Burgum says the country is “reinforcing its collaboration” with the UAE.

“Both the UAE and the United States are on the same page on this,” he added. “They are interested in deploying capital both here in their country, but also in the United States. So, I think it's a powerful synergistic relationship that can continue to grow and we're excited to be here to keep driving that relationship forward.”

Mr Burgum was speaking ahead of the signing of a deal with the UAE aimed at accelerating collaboration in energy and AI.

“When it comes to AI, there's things you need. You need energy and you need capital and you need visionary leaders,” he added.

“UAE have the highest usage of any country in terms of percentage of their population that's actually using AI today. They're committed to applying it to their energy industries. But they also, they like to get a return on their sovereign wealth fund. And so they're also aggressive investors in this next generation.”

Mr Burgum noted that this collaboration would enable both countries to strengthen their global leadership in energy and technology innovation, while protecting their long-term economic and national security interests for future generations.

“If we don't have the power, we're going to lose the AI arms race,” he said. “We’re way ahead on chips and software but all those things take more and more power. So that's where the battle is on.”

Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

While you're here

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Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

Tenet

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh

Rating: 5/5

Top goalscorers in Europe

34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)

34 - Ciro Immobile (68)

31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)

28 - Timo Werner (56)

25 - Lionel Messi (50)

*29 - Erling Haaland (50)

23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)

23 - Jamie Vardy (46)

*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.

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Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

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