UAE advances AI-driven energy efficiencies in data centres with new MoU

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure has recently signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Agility, with the goal of boosting energy efficiency and enhancing the economic performance of data centres and district cooling systems across the UAE. As reported by the Emirates News Agency, this agreement comes in response to the growing surge of artificial intelligence workloads and aims to prepare the country’s infrastructure for the rapidly increasing demands for computing power and cooling solutions.

The MoU was officially signed by Eng. Sharif Al Olama, who is the Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at the Ministry, and Tarek Sultan, the Chairman of Agility. Under this arrangement, Agility plans to implement intelligent control systems developed by Vedra, a firm specializing in AI-driven energy optimization. These systems are designed to efficiently manage energy usage and cooling operations in modern data centres by dynamically adjusting load distributions as the density of computing and its performance needs grow.

The collaboration also involves a specialized study and a pilot project aimed at testing reinforcement learning models within industrial infrastructure settings. The MoU notes that these models have shown promising potential to cut down on energy consumption, reduce the capital costs associated with cooling infrastructure, and bolster safety, resilience, and operational reliability, especially in environments with high temperatures. Both parties will explore opportunities to expand AI-powered optimization solutions across the sector, an effort that is seen as supporting the UAE’s ambition to establish itself as a regional and global hub for AI innovation and digital infrastructure investments.

This agreement fits well with the country’s wider sustainability goals. The Ministry described the project as part of broader commitments, including the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and the UAE Energy Strategy 2050. A recent statement from the Ministry’s leadership underscores this long-term planning, emphasizing efforts to balance rapid digitalisation with the nation’s zero-carbon ambitions.

The MoU arrives at a time when the government is actively working to connect energy policies, data infrastructure, and digital transformation initiatives. According to the Ministry’s own media, they’ve recently launched initiatives like a Big Data Ecosystem and a Digital Twin Platform tailored for the energy and infrastructure sectors. These tools are aimed at helping authorities and operators better model demand, perform stress tests on systems, and coordinate investments at a larger scale.

In addition, industry and government actors have pointed to specific low-carbon data infrastructure projects that signal a budding green data sector. For example, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced that Moro Hub’s Green Data Center had received the Future Fit Seal after deploying a solar-powered model. This particular centre runs entirely on solar energy, with an initial green electricity capacity of 6.3 megawatts, and it reduced its carbon footprint by over 17,000 tons of CO2 equivalent in its first phase. These kinds of project-level results highlight how deploying clean power can work hand-in-hand with AI-based operational improvements.

Official commentary views these developments as both practical steps and strategic moves. In a statement from DEWA, HE Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said: “The efforts undertaken by the UAE are a vital pillar in strengthening the green economy through innovation. They reinforce the country’s position as a leader capable of balancing technological progress with environmental responsibility, supporting sustainable development and fostering a more competitive economy in the future.” This kind of language underscores the political will behind integrating energy transition goals with the expansion of the digital economy.

Agility’s move into energy optimization is particularly noteworthy, considering their background in logistics and infrastructure. By partnering with Vedra, Agility is positioning itself as a systems integrator for smart control and AI-model deployment, rather than just a technology vendor. Coverage from outlets like Utilities Middle East indicates that this partnership is being framed as a public-private collaboration aiming for long-term operational efficiency and economic benefits as AI-led innovations continue to evolve rapidly.

That said, experts are cautious. They warn that turning pilot-stage AI efficiency gains into meaningful sector-wide reductions in emissions requires more than just good algorithms. Achieving the UAE’s goals, like increasing the share of renewable energy and lowering grid emission factors, will also need parallel investments in low-carbon generation sources, enhanced grid flexibility, waste-heat recovery, and regulatory frameworks that incentivize efficient operation. Since cooling typically accounts for a significant chunk of energy use in data centres, especially in hot climates, improving district cooling efficiency might prove just as critical as upgrades at individual facilities.

The focus on reinforcement learning and adaptive control reflects a broader change in how industries manage energy. This kind of AI can tune operations in real time, responding to fluctuating loads and external factors. But, as one might expect, utilities and operators usually require extensive safety validation, transparency, and explainability before deploying these models in critical infrastructure. The pilot projects in the UAE will be vital for demonstrating both technical performance and operational trustworthiness.

All in all, the UAE’s recent announcements suggest a coordinated effort to blend AI expansion with emissions reduction. The Ministry and Agility see their collaboration as a clear example: using AI not just for supporting data growth, but actively working to minimize the energy and cooling footprints accompanying that growth. Whether such gains can be replicated across more emirates will largely depend on how quickly pilot programs succeed, how widely clean energy sources are rolled out, and whether regulatory incentives can encourage private investments aligned with national decarbonization targets.

Source: Noah Wire Services