ADNOC Makes AI History With OpenAI and G42 Partnership as Sam Altman Visits UAE

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a multi-year partnership with OpenAI and UAE-based artificial intelligence company G42, becoming the world’s first energy company to deploy OpenAI Frontier technology across its operations.

Announced at ADIPEC 2026 in Abu Dhabi on November 2, the agreement was signed in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and coincides with a visit to the UAE by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

The partnership will see ADNOC deploy interconnected AI agents to integrate operational, financial and commercial decision-making across its energy value chain, from oil production and processing to refining, logistics, sales and trading.

Built on OpenAI’s advanced GPT models and G42’s UAE-based sovereign AI infrastructure, the technology will combine ADNOC’s industrial data and expertise with AI-powered decision-making capabilities, while maintaining human oversight of critical decisions.

The initial deployment will focus on two applications. The first will integrate decades of data from thousands of wells, multiple reservoirs and hundreds of surface facilities to develop and optimize oilfield master plans in hours rather than months.

The second will use interconnected AI agents to analyze crude oil supply, demand, pricing and margins across ADNOC’s operations, helping the company assess the commercial implications of operational decisions and maximize the value of its oil production.

H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said: “The next frontier of AI is not simply doing things faster. It is making possible what was previously beyond reach. Through this landmark partnership with OpenAI and G42, ADNOC is taking a major step towards connecting intelligence across our entire business, combining world-leading AI with decades of industrial expertise to make better decisions, unlock greater value and strengthen energy security.”

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said: “More capable AI can help us tackle some of the world’s hardest problems – particularly around energy. By combining frontier AI, sovereign infrastructure and industry expertise, this first-of-its-kind partnership will help ADNOC move faster, operate more efficiently and make better decisions across the energy value chain. Together, we’re shaping the future of AI-enabled energy.”

The agreement will also support cybersecurity improvements through OpenAI’s Daybreak Blue initiative and include the joint development of AI solutions and workforce training.

It builds on ADNOC’s existing AI investments, including its ENERGYai platform, more than 200 AI applications and 70 robotics use cases deployed or under development.

ADNOC has also rolled out ChatGPT Enterprise to more than 40,000 employees, representing what the company describes as the largest enterprise deployment of ChatGPT in the Middle East and North Africa, with adoption exceeding 97%.

The partnership is part of ADNOC’s broader strategy to integrate AI across its operations, improve efficiency and strengthen its position in the global energy industry.