Abu Dhabi Signs Four Agreements With OpenAI Covering Government, Energy and Investment
The agreements, signed November 2 after a meeting between Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and OpenAI chief Sam Altman, include a machine-readable government pilot already running on food imports, plus energy and investment work. No financial terms were disclosed.
Abu Dhabi’s government and leading companies in the emirate signed four cooperation agreements with OpenAI on November 2 to expand the use of artificial intelligence in government services, energy, investment and education, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office and the Emirates News Agency, WAM. The signing followed a meeting between Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.
The government agreement launches a “Machine-Readable Government” initiative, led by the Department of Government Enablement. It converts selected policies and regulations into formats that AI systems can read and analyse, so the systems can help officials with routine compliance checks, including licensing and certification procedures. Each check will be traceable to the relevant regulation, and final decisions will remain with government officials. The first pilot is already operating at the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, focused on food imports, with processing on graphics processing units at data centres within the UAE.
Energy and investment agreements
In energy, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, signed a three-way agreement with OpenAI and technology group G42 through its subsidiary Inception42. Abu Dhabi officials said the partnership makes ADNOC the first energy company to deploy OpenAI’s advanced technologies. Using GPT models and computing infrastructure based in the UAE, the work aims to align operational, commercial and investment decisions and improve efficiency across ADNOC’s operations.
In investment, Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investment company, signed a separate agreement with OpenAI and Inception42 to use AI for investment analysis, identifying economic opportunities and assessing risks, with the aim of generating long-term economic value.
Five-year adoption deal
The fourth agreement is a five-year partnership between OpenAI and Inception42 to expand advanced AI across UAE government entities, large companies and the education sector. It combines OpenAI’s models and engineering expertise with Inception42’s consulting and implementation work.
“Abu Dhabi and the UAE have set an ambitious global benchmark for deploying AI across the public and private sectors to ensure its benefits are accessible to everyone,” Altman said. The announcement did not disclose the financial value of the four agreements or a timetable for their full implementation. Abu Dhabi’s stated goal is to become the first fully AI-powered government by 2027.
Reporting based on coverage by the Abu Dhabi Media Office and WAM.
