The Panorama Command Centre and Artificial Intelligence space at the Adnoc headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
The Panorama Command Centre and Artificial Intelligence space at the Adnoc headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
The Panorama Command Centre and Artificial Intelligence space at the Adnoc headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
The Panorama Command Centre and Artificial Intelligence space at the Adnoc headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

AI will drive decarbonisation and boost energy efficiency, say top executives


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Artificial Intelligence will revolutionise the energy sector, slashing emissions and boosting efficiency, according to a report jointly published by Adnoc, Masdar and Microsoft on Thursday.

Around 92 per cent of executives believe AI will have a significant impact on improving energy efficiency by 2030, and 97 per cent expect AI to play a central role by 2050 in developing new energy solutions, according to the report titled Powering Possible: AI and Energy for a Sustainable Future.

The report surveyed more than 400 global leaders in sectors such as technology, energy and finance, including Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, Larry Fink, BlackRock's chief executive, and Patrick Pouyanne, chief executive of French energy giant TotalEnergies.

The study underscored AI's ability to clean up traditional energy sources, improve energy use and speed up the shift to cleaner energy.

“We are at a pivotal moment for human progress driven by three megatrends: the rise of the Global South, the accelerated energy transition and the rapid growth of AI,” said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology.

“AI is an era-defining innovation that is altering the pace of change itself – resetting the boundaries of productivity and the possibilities of progress,” said Dr Al Jaber, who is also Adnoc’s group chief executive and managing director.

The energy sector typically contributes more than 90 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions and 75 per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries, according to the UN.

The jointly authored report highlighted the role AI can play in reducing methane emissions – a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.

New AI tools can detect methane leaks much more accurately than older methods, and will be crucial in meeting the global goal of cutting methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, the report said.

At the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai many oil and gas companies pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier. They also committed to reducing methane emissions and eliminating routine flaring by 2030.

The report also outlined a road map to tackle the increasing energy demands of AI-powered data centres, expected to almost double their share of global electricity consumption by 2026. It noted that, although AI's electricity usage remains relatively minor on a global scale, in certain regions, data centres can account for a significant portion of total power demand.

The International Energy Agency has predicted that the total electricity consumption of data centres could exceed 1,000 terawatt-hours by 2026, nearly matching the electricity usage of Japan.

“This new era calls on us to do two things at once: meet the AI moment while transitioning to a more sustainable economy,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft.

“In a world that will need more electricity, not less, it's imperative that we generate more carbon-free energy to power AI, and use that very same technology to increase capacity, optimise transmission and expand energy access to communities around the world,” he added.

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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo 

 Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua

 Based: Dubai, UAE

 Number of employees: 28

 Sector: Financial services

 Investment: $9.5m

 Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 

 
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice. 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Roll of honour 2019-2020

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners: Dubai Hurricanes

Runners up: Bahrain

 

West Asia Premiership

Winners: Bahrain

Runners up: UAE Premiership

 

UAE Premiership

Winners: Dubai Exiles

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes

 

UAE Division One

Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II

 

UAE Division Two

Winners: Barrelhouse

Runners up: RAK Rugby

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Everything Now

Arcade Fire

(Columbia Records)

Expo details

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

It is expected to attract 25 million visits

Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.

More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020

The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area

It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

The biog

Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives. 

The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast. 

As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau

He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker. 

If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah

 

Updated: November 03, 2024, 7:39 AM`