UAE state oil firm ADNOC announced a partnership on Monday with OpenAI to deploy OpenAI Frontier, an advanced artificial intelligence platform, making it the first energy company globally to adopt the system, according to a report by Aaj English TV citing AFP. ADNOC stated that OpenAI's models would allow it to become the first energy company to use the technology to value barrels while still underground. The agreement also involves Emirati AI company G42, with no financial details disclosed.
The deal was unveiled during the ADIPEC energy industry event in Abu Dhabi, attended by OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman alongside UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and CEO Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber. Al-Jaber stated that the collaboration would examine what AI can do for the energy industry, while Altman praised the UAE as being the world's most forward-looking country for AI adoption.
In addition to the energy agreement, Altman met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed al-Nahyan to sign deals integrating AI into government institutions, investment funds, and companies. The Abu Dhabi government and OpenAI launched an AI-native "Machine-Readable Government initiative" designed to assist officials with regulatory compliance assessments, including permits and certificates, with an initial pilot underway at the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority for food imports.
State-backed investment fund Mubadala, OpenAI, and G42 subsidiary Inception42 separately agreed to apply advanced AI capabilities to investment analysis, opportunity identification, and risk assessment. The parties also entered into a five-year agreement to adopt Frontier AI across government, enterprise, and educational institutions in the UAE.
Sources
- Aaj English TV · 2026-11-02
