Artificial intelligence could help the UAE reduce its overall energy use by more than 30 per cent, freeing up more power for the country’s AI economy, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei said.
Speaking on Monday at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, Mr Al Mazrouei said AI had been used to manage cooling, lighting and energy flows at federal buildings including schools and hospitals. Those initiatives had led to a reduction in electricity and water consumption of between 28 per cent and 30 per cent.
“I am not talking in a small scale. It's scalable to a city, to a country,” he said. “Are we doing it? Would AI help us save that 30 per cent or more? Yes, it will.”
Electricity demand in the Middle East and North Africa has tripled since 2000 and is set to increase by 50 per cent by 2035, as rapid population growth, urbanisation and industrial expansion drive up consumption, the International Energy Agency said in a report in September.
The UAE is accelerating its investment in data centres and high-performance computing to position the country as a global hub for AI. While the energy-intensive technology is expected to lead to a surge in electricity demand, officials say smarter energy management could help offset much of that increase.
“I can tell you that we, as humans, are not that efficient,” Mr Al Mazrouei said.
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