RIYADH: AI is driving generational opportunity across every industry, society, and economy — but at the crux of this global transformation is the crucial relationship between AI and energy, Aramco’s Executive Vice President of Technology and Innovation Ahmad O. Al-Khowaiter said.
According to an Aramco press release issued on Tuesday, Al-Khowaiter made the remarks at the Adopt AI International Summit in Paris, where he stressed that the rapid expansion of AI is inseparable from the energy systems required to power its data-intensive infrastructure. At the same time, he noted, AI is unlocking new tools to enhance global energy supplies and improve efficiency, sustainability, and affordability.
The statement also highlighted Aramco’s growing collaborations with French companies and confirmed that Aramco Ventures — the company’s venture capital arm — will soon open a new office in Paris to support deeper investment in next-generation technologies across Europe.
On Aramco’s partnerships with French firms, he said: “Our partnership with Pasqal Quantum Computing just saw the installation of Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer dedicated to industrial applications, right at our headquarters in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
“This will expand quantum computing expertise in the region, and accelerate quantum applications in the energy, materials, and industrial sectors. We are committed to our partnerships here, and also to the infectious spirit of innovation that surrounds the French tech industry.
“That’s why I’m very pleased to announce that Aramco Ventures is opening a new office here in Paris, as we continue to invest in next-generation technologies here and across Europe.”
Emphasizing energy demand, Al-Khowaiter added: “Data centers alone consumed around 415 terawatt hours of electricity just last year. That’s nearly equal to France’s total electricity consumption. By 2030, that number is actually expected to more than double. With global energy demand predicted to rise significantly by 2050 – mostly in emerging economies — AI is going to be critical for producing energy more efficiently, more sustainably, and affordably.”
He also detailed the scale of Aramco’s AI ecosystem. “We operate some of the Middle East region’s most powerful supercomputers. We have access to over 90 years of propriety data and every day billions of new data points are generated to add to that. This has fueled the creation of the energy industry’s first industrial Large Language Model. We have identified more than 400 (AI) use cases, which we are continuously working on and scaling across our operations. We believe we can accelerate efficiency, reliability, and safety throughout our value chain. In 2024 alone, Aramco generated $4 billion of technology realized value, (and) around half of that was driven by AI solutions.”
