AI’s next test in energy is resilience, industry leaders said at ADIPEC

Abu Dhabi: As energy companies move from digitalising operations to running AI-powered applications, two executives say the sector’s priorities are shifting to the infrastructure and industrial capability beneath the algorithms: reliable connectivity and resilient local supply chains.

“AI should not replace industrial knowledge; it should amplify it,” said Omar Al Busaidy, President for the UAE and Oman at Future Pipe Industries (FPI).

“Its greatest promise lies in helping people make better decisions and enabling industry to become more efficient, resilient and sustainable,” he added.

The comments echoed a theme raised at ADIPEC, where the UAE’s Dr Sultan Al Jaber said the central question has shifted. Since the arrival of ChatGPT, the world has asked what energy can do for AI, he noted. The focus now, he said, is on what AI can do for energy.

Connectivity as the foundation

Alaa Alsadi, Group VP, Energy and COO Middle East at IEC Telecom, at satellite communications provider, said oil and gas has largely completed its digitalisation phase and is now adopting AI applications that rely on real-time monitoring and supervision of offshore sites such as oil fields, platforms and accommodation barges.

He added that connectivity is becoming more important as the UAE adopts AI, digital services and digital oil fields, and he expects demand for such solutions to grow soon. That makes connectivity mandatory, both as a primary link and as a backup for business continuity.

Alsadi said operators are increasingly using satellite, 4G and 5G links together in “hybrid” setups. One central software system manages them and automatically moves critical traffic to another link if the main one weakens.

The aim is to keep key applications running on offshore platforms and accommodation barges without human intervention and to shorten any disruption.

The company says it is working with Space42 on an L-band backup service, which it said is currently being tested with offshore customers. The executive said the upgraded service offers speeds of up to 1 Mbps, modest by modern standards but intended for essential applications.

These solutions, according to him, are addressing the growing demand for connectivity required for digital oil fields and AI-driven services in the region.

With the UAE's digital oilfield market projected to reach USD 1.21 billion by 2030, reliable connectivity is becoming increasingly critical to business continuity across offshore energy operations.

Capability on the ground

Al Busaidy made a similar argument from the manufacturing side. He said that AI, automation and better data use, can help experienced teams decide faster, improve production reliability, use resources more efficiently and build resilience into critical infrastructure.

He pointed to FPI’s 55.54% National In-Country Value (ICV) score, its manufacturing presence in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and its investment in Industry 4.0. Solar supplies about 40% of its Dubai factory’s energy needs, he said.

Why resilience matters

The two companies work at different ends of the value chain, but both framed AI as dependent on resilient systems, whether a network that fails over without interruption or a domestic supply chain that can keep infrastructure running.

Both the experts tied this to the UAE’s push to build local capability and operational consistency in its energy sector, which they said will drive demand for such solutions.