Sam Altman: AI Can Deliver New Era of Energy Abundance

Sam Altman: AI Can Deliver New Era of Energy Abundance As ADNOC becomes the first energy company to deploy OpenAI Frontier through a landmark partnership with OpenAI and G42, Sam Altman tells ADIPEC 2026 why the collaboration could redefine what’s possible for energy production, scientific discovery and human progress

OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman addresses the opening ceremony at ADIPEC 2026 after ADNOC announced a landmark partnership with OpenAI and G42

02 Nov 2026・4 min read ADNOC announced a landmark partnership with OpenAI and G42 on the opening day of ADIPEC 2026 to become the first energy company to deploy OpenAI Frontier across its operations. Following the announcement in Abu Dhabi, ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber and OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman addressed the ADIPEC opening ceremony – where Altman outlined how AI could usher in a new era of energy abundance. The partnership will help connect AI agents across ADNOC’s operations, enabling faster decisions, unlocking greater value and strengthening energy security. Altman pointed to recent breakthroughs in AI, including its ability to solve mathematical problems that had previously been beyond human researchers. “And that same technology is going to apply to every field of science,” he said. “It's going to apply to the complex problems that you all face to produce and deliver the energy the world depends on. “The ability for an energy company to say: ‘I need to produce more energy, more efficiently, and maybe that will need better materials, maybe that will need better turbine designs, maybe that will need better operations’. “Whatever it is, the ability to ask a sophisticated AI system to figure this out, I think, is going to transform the abundance and efficiency of energy for the world. “It's part of why we're so excited and so grateful for the partnership with ADNOC.” The latest AI models were making it possible to tackle increasingly complex challenges, Altman said. “I think we’re all not dreaming big enough, because we’re all kind of used to last year's models,” he said. “We've got to find the biggest problems we can take on. I think we’re all going to be surprised by the upside.” Altman said the UAE has “consistently been the most forward-looking country in the world for AI adoption”.

ADNOC’s partnership with Altman’s OpenAI and G42 will see it become the first energy company to deploy OpenAI Frontier across its operations

“Going back to right after ChatGPT launched, and even before that, this is a country that decided to bet all in on AI, throughout the government, throughout companies and in its use,” Altman said. “I think 80% of young people are weekly active ChatGPT users, one of the highest rates in any country. “It's an incredible embrace, and I think it has come from the leadership.” While AI promises to help the energy industry, its own growing demand for power presents a formidable challenge. Asked to name the biggest challenge facing OpenAI, Altman offered a one-word answer: “Energy.” “Everything else, we’re going to make huge progress on,” he explained, pointing to more efficient models and advances in robotics. “We can bring down the cost of delivering great AI in almost every way. Except, you know, atoms are still atoms.” Altman acknowledged the questions surrounding AI’s impact on jobs, safety and society. “I think we're going to be reminded of how much people care about other people, how much human creativity matters, how much human judgment matters and how much we want people to stand behind that judgment,” he said. That emphasis on people is reflected in ADNOC’s investment in AI skills. More than 40,000 employees have received training in AI, while ADNOC also runs an AI Accelerator that teaches advanced skills to engineers and has developed an AI-focused curriculum for the ADNOC Technical Academy. “We think it is absolutely critical that people remain in control of the future,” said Altman. “There should not be a handoff to AI. There should not be a gradual, ‘We're going to let AI decide what is best for us.’ AI needs to be a tool built for people and needs to serve people, not the other way around.” And for Altman that means the ultimate opportunity extends beyond the energy industry – it’s a chance to improve people’s lives. “If every child in the world can get a great education, if people can have a much higher quality of life, we want people to use a lot of AI,” Altman said. “And I think we need to enable this for people because there's so much good.”

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