Abu Dhabi pioneers smart infrastructure with groundbreaking Physical Intelligence partnership

The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) has taken a pretty big step forward recently, especially in terms of advancing digital transformation and sustainability within the Emirate’s energy and water sectors. How? Well, through a new partnership with tech innovator Analog. This collaboration was officially put into motion with a Memorandum of Understanding signed during ADIPEC 2025, by H.E. Eng. Ahmed Alsayed Mohamed Al Sheebani, who’s Acting Director General of Regulatory Affairs at DoE, and Alex Kipman, CEO and Founder of Analog. The main goal here is to push the boundaries of Physical Intelligence (PI), working alongside AI and Machine Learning (ML).

Now, this agreement isn’t just about a handshake; it actually says a lot about Abu Dhabi’s broader strategy to harness advanced intelligent tech in a way that boosts operational flow, improves governance, and helps drive the UAE toward its bold Net Zero 2050 sustainability targets. Specifically, the partnership centers around improving the AD.WE platform , which, by the way, is a world-first AI-powered system for managing energy and water. It’s well-known for providing real-time insights and helping save resources significantly. Official numbers suggest that once fully rolled out, AD.WE could save around 160 million cubic metres of water and about 1.9 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. That’s pretty huge when you think about the long-term green impact on Abu Dhabi’s future.

What sets Physical Intelligence apart from traditional AI? Essentially, it’s about embedding smart capabilities directly into physical environments. Using PI frameworks that connect the digital and physical worlds , think robotics, sensors, and Analog’s own Neural Agent (ANA) , systems become able to perceive, understand, and respond instantly to changes happening around them. It’s a transformative way of making infrastructure more like ‘living systems’ that learn and adapt in real time. Honestly, this could be the next big leap for AI in the energy sector.

H.E. Eng. Ahmed Alsayed Mohamed Al Sheebani pointed out how game-changing these smart systems could be. He said, “Our collaboration with Analog marks a key step forward in leveraging both Artificial and Physical Intelligence to boost our digital capabilities and speed up our progress toward sustainability, aligned with the UAE Energy Strategy.” Meanwhile, Alex Kipman described PI as an “awakening,” where everything in the energy ecosystem , turbines, grid nodes, you name it , becomes deeply interconnected and reactive. Basically, Abu Dhabi is positioning itself as a leader in this global shift toward smarter, more adaptive infrastructure.

Beyond just the platform, this partnership also aims to set up an AI and PI lab centered on developing custom innovations that tackle the unique challenges in energy and water sectors. At the same time, both organizations are working to build a broad knowledge base that will foster research collaborations and community engagement, further strengthening Abu Dhabi’s standing as a hub for AI-driven energy innovation.

The focus on AD.WE isn’t happening in isolation, either. It’s part of a wider set of initiatives the DoE rolled out earlier in 2025. During GITEX Global, for example, they introduced the branding for AD.WE and outlined a phased plan to roll out its capabilities across sectors like district cooling and oil and gas. Plus, Abu Dhabi’s collaborations with other tech leaders like Presight, AIQ, Space42, and Google Cloud highlight a clear multi-pronged approach to embedding AI, ML, and cloud tech into its energy infrastructure. All of this work is aimed at making the system more efficient, resilient, and sustainable.

And, of course, these efforts are tightly aligned with the broader ambitions of UAE federal strategies, intent on transforming energy systems via smart infrastructure, digital governance, and sustainable resource management. The growing web of partnerships isn’t just about boosting tech skills; it’s about positioning Abu Dhabi as a global leader in integrating intelligent, adaptive technologies for a smarter, greener energy future.

Long story short, the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy’s deal with Analog is a pretty big deal. It’s about bringing Physical Intelligence into the Emirate’s energy and water management platforms, making operations more responsive and sustainable. Pushing the limits of AI and PI like this isn’t just about updating technology , it’s about creating a kind of ‘living,’ breathing infrastructure that can evolve with the environment’s needs. And frankly, this puts Abu Dhabi firmly on the map as a trailblazer in climate tech and digital smart transformation.

Source: Noah Wire Services