Abu Dhabi signs four OpenAI agreements as Sheikh Khaled meets Sam Altman

Abu Dhabi has signed four agreements with OpenAI to expand the use of artificial intelligence across government, energy and investment, as the emirate steps up efforts to establish itself as a global centre for AI development and deployment.

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and witnessed the signing of the agreements, the Abu Dhabi Media Office reported.

The deals include the deployment of OpenAI technology at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the launch of an AI-powered Machine-Readable Government initiative, an investment analysis partnership involving Mubadala and a five-year agreement to expand AI adoption across the UAE.

What do the four Abu Dhabi-OpenAI agreements cover?

The agreements bring together government, energy and investment entities with OpenAI to accelerate the use of advanced AI technology across key sectors.

They include an agreement making ADNOC the first energy company to deploy OpenAI's frontier AI technology, a government initiative to convert regulations into machine-readable formats, a partnership to apply AI to investment analysis and a five-year agreement to support AI adoption across government, businesses and education.

What was discussed during Sheikh Khaled's meeting with Sam Altman?

The meeting focused on opportunities to use advanced AI to accelerate government transformation and drive innovation across Abu Dhabi's strategic sectors.

Discussions also covered the emirate's progress in integrating AI into public services and key industries, supported by investment in digital infrastructure and the development of local talent.

Abu Dhabi aims to become the world's first fully AI-native government, embedding artificial intelligence into how public services and government operations are designed and delivered.

Altman said Abu Dhabi and the UAE were setting a global standard for integrating AI across the public and private sectors. He said OpenAI was proud to support the country's ambitions, citing a shared commitment to safety, accessibility and responsible innovation.

How will ADNOC use OpenAI technology?

ADNOC, G42 subsidiary Inception42 and OpenAI signed an agreement to integrate advanced AI across the energy company's operations, making ADNOC the first energy company to deploy OpenAI's frontier technology.

The partnership aims to improve operational, investment and commercial decision-making while increasing efficiency and productivity across the company.

The technology will run on OpenAI's GPT models using computing infrastructure located within the UAE, ensuring that AI processing takes place in the country.

The agreement supports ADNOC's ambition to become one of the world's most technologically advanced and AI-enabled energy companies.

What is Abu Dhabi's Machine-Readable Government initiative?

Abu Dhabi Government and OpenAI have launched what they describe as the world's first AI-native Machine-Readable Government initiative, a step towards the emirate's ambition to become the world's first fully AI-native government.

The initiative converts selected government policies and regulations into machine-readable formats, allowing AI systems to assist officials with routine regulatory assessments, including applications for permits and certificates.

Each assessment can be traced to the relevant regulation, while government officials retain oversight and responsibility for final decisions.

The Department of Government Enablement (DGE) leads the initiative, whose first pilot is already operational with the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA). The initial application focuses on food imports.

AI processing is conducted using OpenAI infrastructure hosted in the UAE, with model computations running on graphics processing units (GPUs) located in domestic data centres.

What do the investment and five-year AI agreements involve?

Mubadala, Inception42 and OpenAI have signed an agreement to apply advanced AI to investment analysis, identifying opportunities and assessing risks.

The partnership aims to improve investment decision-making and support long-term value creation through the use of AI-powered analysis.

Under a separate five-year agreement, Inception42 and OpenAI will work to expand the adoption of advanced AI across the UAE's government, enterprise and education sectors.

The partnership will provide AI solutions to large organisations in the UAE, combining OpenAI's advanced models and engineering expertise with Inception42's applied AI capabilities and consultancy services.

Together, the four agreements reflect Abu Dhabi's efforts to move beyond experimentation and integrate AI into major economic sectors, with the aim of improving productivity, strengthening competitiveness and supporting a knowledge-based economy.