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
11 April 2025
Tariffs and other protectionist measures raise questions about China’s plans to export green fuels and electrolysers, despite its huge cost advantages
11 April 2025
German firm reserves site for three-phase project as developers flock to Europe’s latest green hydrogen hotspot
8 April 2025
Gulf Energy to provide AIQ with exclusive access to its proprietary datasets and industry-leading documents. ENERGYai is already trained on petabytes of operational data from ADNOC, and this agreement will provide the solution with access to even greater quantities of relevant, high-quality industry information
7 April 2025
SAF provides a viable offtake solution for hydrogen producers and benefits from regulatory mandates and strong political support, ensuring long-term demand at higher prices