Latest / DEWA Podcasts / HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer highlights AI as a key enabler of energy sector transformation at the World Governments Summit 2026

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HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer highlights AI as a key enabler of energy sector transformation at the World Governments Summit 2026 · DEWA Podcasts

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  You know, with this whole global push for a greener
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  planet, we're facing this fascinating paradox.
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  The very technology we're relying on for solutions,
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  I mean, artificial intelligence, is creating
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  this unprecedented demand for energy itself.
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  Yeah, it's a huge challenge. Right? But it's
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  one being tackled head on in Dubai. They're framing
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  AI not as the problem, but as like the fundamental
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  pillar for a sustainable, intelligent energy
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  future. Ah, precisely. And that was the central
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  theme in this really powerful speech at the World
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  Government Summit by His Excellency Saeed Mohammed
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  Al -Tayr. OK. He's the MD and CEO of the Dubai
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  Electricity and Water Authority, or DIWA. So
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  in his speech, it was titled AI -Driven Energy
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  Transformation, and he really set the stage for
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  this new era. Yeah, what was it? He said, the
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  energy transition is not an end in itself, but
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  a key driver of sustainable economic growth.
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  Interesting. He made it so clear that this is
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  about building a prosperous future, not just,
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  you know, switching our power sources. And he
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  directly linked that growth to technology, didn't
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  he? He was stating that a comprehensive transition
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  of the energy sector cannot be achieved without
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  harnessing fourth industrial revolution technologies,
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  especially AI, which is experiencing unprecedented
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  global growth. And that growth is just explosive.
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  His speech highlighted the numbers. Oh, yeah.
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  What were they? The global data center electricity
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  use is expected to be nearly five times higher
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  in 2035 than it is today. Wow, that's a massive
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  energy footprint. So, okay, how do you possibly
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  power that AI revolution sustainably then? Well,
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  His Excellency attributed the whole strategy
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  to a unified national vision. He noted, Guided
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  by the vision and directives of the wise leadership
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  of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al
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  -Nayan, president of the UAE, and His Highness
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  Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al -Maktoum, vice
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  president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler
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  of Dubai, the UAE continues to consolidate its
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  position as a global hub for sustainability and
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  artificial intelligence. And this isn't just
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  theory. I mean, at Diwa, AI is already part of
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  their corporate DNA. Really? Yeah, their AI virtual
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  employee, Ramas, has handled over 12 million
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  customer inquiries without any human intervention.
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  That's a practical, real -world application.
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  That's a fantastic example. And then on an industrial
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  scale, you have the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
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  Solar Park. The speech explained how AI is improving
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  efficiency and productivity by optimizing photovoltaic
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  panel cleaning cycles, forecasting power generation,
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  and enhancing the integration of energy storage
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  systems with the grid. So it's about making clean
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  energy smarter. But what's truly futuristic is
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  this virtual engineer they're developing. A virtual
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  engineer? Yes, it was described as an advanced
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  intelligent system that continuously learns from
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  operational data and functions like a seasoned
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  expert, providing predictive failure alerts,
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  root cause analysis, autonomous efficiency calculation,
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  plant optimization recommendations, and real
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  -time scenario simulation. So you go from a virtual
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  employee answering calls to a virtual engineer
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  that autonomously optimizes an entire power plant.
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  That's a complete reimagining of what a utility
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  can even be. Exactly. And the end of the speech
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  just summed it all up perfectly. His Excellency
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  concluded, the future of utilities is intelligent.
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  Diwa remains firmly committed to leading this
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  future, reinforcing Dubai's global leadership
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  and advancing a model in which innovation drives
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  sustainability, ensuring that the UAE continues
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  to inspire the world. What a powerful vision.
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  That more intelligence doesn't have to mean an
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  unsustainable energy cost. So here's a question
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  for everyone listening. As AI becomes more and
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  more integrated into our critical infrastructure,
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  like power and water, How do we make sure these
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  complex, autonomous systems stay secure, transparent,
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  and aligned with our human values?