Christopher Hudson, president of dmg events. (Image source: dmg events)

Christopher Hudson, president of dmg events, discusses what we can look forward to at ADIPEC this year

How is ADIPEC, as a leading energy event, responding to the major shifts being seen across the global energy sector?

Energy is one of the world’s most dynamic and rapidly evolving sectors. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global energy demand rose by 2.2% last year, outpacing the average annual increase of 1.3% recorded over the last decade. At the same time, the global population is projected to reach 9.8bn by 2050, with over 750mn people still lacking access to electricity, and more than 2.1bn people remain without access to clean cooking. These figures underscore both the scale of the challenge and the opportunity before us.

In this context, ADIPEC 2025 is being held under the theme of ‘Energy. Intelligence. Impact’. It reflects a simple but powerful truth: meeting the world’s growing need for secure, affordable and sustainable energy will depend on how intelligently we harness every resource to deliver meaningful results for economies and communities alike.

At its core, the theme recognises that intelligence – both human and artificial – is transforming the way energy is produced, managed, and consumed. From AI-driven optimisation and digital integration to advances in hydrogen, LNG, and decarbonisation, intelligent innovation is reshaping the global energy landscape. ADIPEC serves as the meeting point for these forces, where ideas translate into action and impact can be measured in investment, policy, and progress.

As the organiser of ADIPEC, we work closely with governments and industry to ensure our event reflects these realities. ADIPEC, at its core, is designed to bring energy, intelligence, and innovation together, turning dialogue into delivery, and ambition into tangible progress.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has a big focus at ADIPEC this year. How is AI impacting the energy sector and how is ADIPEC helping to steer that impact positively?

On the back of rising AI integration, data centres' electricity consumption is projected to double by 2030, rising from 415 TWh to 945 TWh. At the same time, the World Economic Forum has estimated that AI can improve energy efficiency by up to 60% in certain applications, while the IEA says that AI-optimised energy systems can increase production efficiency by up to 20%. The complex trade-off between AI’s energy demand and energy production/savings, presents the energy sector with a unique opportunity to accelerate the shift toward cleaner energy sources while improving energy system productivity.

To harness AI’s potential sustainably, the industry must invest in energy-efficient infrastructure, prioritise low-impact models, and shift workloads to low-emissions data centres, like those powered by solar energy or small modular reactors. Simultaneously, AI can be used to optimise its own energy use, such as scheduling tasks based on grid carbon intensity.

Responding to the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, we have expanded our AI Zone into five experiential areas showcasing how AI is transforming systems, people, and infrastructure. Our AI Zone, which is nearly 40% bigger this year than last year, will also feature many leading AI companies, including Microsoft, Infosys, IBM, AIQ, Honeywell, Cognite, SUPCON, Geminus AI, and Gecko Robotics, among its 40-some exhibitors.

Alongside this, more than 80 conference sessions are dedicated to the AI–energy nexus, from predictive analytics to governance frameworks. Some of the already confirmed speakers include: Dr Najwa Aaraj, CEO, TII; Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Alebri, CEO, ADNOC Sour Gas; Patrick Bangert, VP& Chief of AI, Oxy; and Michael Sonderby, CEO, SteerAI.
With our timely AI-focused conference and exhibition offerings, ADIPEC will explore how AI transforms the global energy system for more secure, inclusive and sustainable outcomes.

What impact do you hope ADIPEC 2025 to have on the world’s energy sector and its ongoing transformation?

ADIPEC 2025 offers a moment for industry leaders to focus on collective results, advancing secure, sustainable, and affordable energy that meets the needs of a growing global population.

One timely outcome that we hope ADIPEC helps advance for the global energy sector is enabling additional secure energy supply. Energy security and energy access for key industries, emerging markets, and communities are foundational for growth and development, supporting the livelihoods of billions and unlocking new avenues for innovation. But the energy industry is not immune to uncertainty, and today we find ourselves facing a multitude of competing priorities.

If the industry is to deliver on its mounting responsibilities and evolve to meet the needs of a world in perpetual change, it requires clarity and realism. While the necessity of decarbonisation is unquestionable and the appetite for energy has only increased, balancing these two realities cannot devolve into a debate between new and old, clean and carbon. Instead, we must come to terms with the complexity of modern demand and respond with pragmatism, using every tool and resource at our disposal to ensure the modern energy mix works for all. The answer that is becoming more obvious to energy leaders is to shift away from an energy transition towards energy addition, where our growing need for secure energy supply is met both by hydrocarbon energy and additional lower-carbon energy sources.

By convening all segments of the energy sector, including government, technology, finance, shipping, and infrastructure, ADIPEC facilitates the alignment, collaboration, and momentum the global energy sector needs to unlock finance and bring more energy online.

ADIPEC launched a new co-located Low Carbon & Chemicals Expo this year. What does that exhibition feature include and why is it timely?

Reflecting the industry’s transition towards a high-growth, lower-carbon future, the new Low Carbon & Chemicals Expo brings together companies driving innovation in hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, carbon capture, energy storage, chemicals, and clean energy. These sectors are essential to meeting rising global energy demand because they enable low-carbon solutions across power, transport, and industry.

Among the 100+ global companies confirmed to exhibit at the Expo are Topsoe, Excel International, Rittal, Vedanta Cairn and Veerum, jointly showcasing how cleaner fuels, advanced materials and circular solutions are unlocking the next wave of energy-driven prosperity.

ADIPEC will put finance and investment at the centre of the global energy conversation. (Image source: dmg events)

At ADIPEC 2025, discussions will focus on how inclusive investment and cross-sector collaboration can build resilient energy systems and accelerate global progress

Under the theme ‘Energy. Intelligence. Impact.’, ADIPEC 2025 will highlight how finance is building resilience in today’s energy systems and scaling the intelligent solutions needed for secure, sustainable and future-ready energy systems.

In a world reshaped by market volatility and shifting policy priorities, energy security, affordability and sustainability have re-emerged as core considerations in investment decision-making. The Finance & Investment programme within the ADIPEC Strategic Conference will bring together financial institutions, investors, policymakers and industry leaders to explore how capital can be deployed to strengthen today’s systems while scaling the low-carbon and digital infrastructure of tomorrow.

Reflecting ADIPEC’s global perspective, the programme will examine how investment can be channelled toward emerging economies, where rapid industrialisation, demographic growth and rising digital demand are redefining the global opportunity map. Sessions will also explore how collaboration between developed and developing markets can close capital gaps, de-risk frontier projects and enable inclusive growth across the Global South.

Leading energy finance experts confirmed to speak at ADIPEC include His Excellency Yerlan Akkenzhenov, Minister of Energy, Kazakhstan; Her Excellency Jimena Latorre, Minister of Energy & Environment for the Province of Mendoza, Argentina; Olubukola Arowolo Verheijen, Special Adviser on Energy to the President of Nigeria, along with finance and investment leaders from ADNOC Drilling, Bank of America, Carlyle, OMV, NNPC, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered, Masdar and Abu Dhabi Investment Office.

Mazin Khan, CFO, Masdar, said: “Masdar is one of the most globally diversified renewable energy companies in the world today, but our success story began here in Abu Dhabi. ADIPEC provides a unique platform to engage energy leaders, investors, and innovators, and to share how we have transformed into an industrial clean energy developer with engines for growth across major markets in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.”

Tristan Attenborough, MD, Global Head of Natural Resources Group and Head of Global Advisory, J.P. Morgan Payments, said: “ADIPEC provides a unique environment where financial leaders, energy innovators, and policymakers converge to share insights. This cross-sector collaboration supports our goal of enabling next-level treasury and mobilising capital across all channels that helps drive scalable, low-carbon energy solutions while balancing risk and long-term value creation and is essential for accelerating the global energy transition.”

Christopher Hudson, president of dmg events, added,“The future of energy will be shaped by those who mobilise the finance behind it – and ADIPEC 2025 is where that journey comes to life. Whether it’s innovative finance mechanisms, carbon markets or infrastructure investment, we’re creating the platform for investors and industry leaders to move from dialogue to delivery. Last year’s US$10bn in deals proved that ADIPEC is where energy transactions get done – and this year, we’re building on that momentum.”

Rockwell Automation will spotlight operational excellence, cyber security and sustainability at ADIPEC. (Image source: Rockwell Automation)

At ADIPEC, Rockwell Automation will demonstrate how integrated process and power solutions, secure digital architectures and intelligent remote operations help energy producers improve performance, enhance cyber resilience and advance sustainable business models throughout the value chain

“Energy leaders are asking for measurable and scalable outcomes, not isolated pilots,” said Ediz Eren, regional vice president, Middle East, Türkiye & Africa, Rockwell Automation. “Our approach connects plant-wide control, electrical power, safety and analytics in a single, open architecture so operators can see, decide and act faster. The result is improved data availability, optimal energy intensity and a security posture suited to today’s threat landscape, delivered with partners who understand the realities of energy operations.”

At ADIPEC Rockwell Automation will spotlight three areas:
• Operational excellence: Unified control of process and power, real-time diagnostics and KPI-driven decision support to cut downtime, compress cycle times and optimise energy use.
• Cybersecure operations: Zero-trust-aligned architectures, asset visibility and threat detection designed for high-risk OT environments. Cyber consultants will share practical steps to help secure legacy infrastructure, enable remote operations safely and align with evolving regulations such as NIS2.
• Sustainability at scale: Energy management, predictive analytics and advanced control to reduce flaring, increase electrical efficiency and support emissions management, extending to energy-transition applications such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and green hydrogen through scalable automation and technology stacks.

These priorities reflect findings from a recent Rockwell Automation-commissioned report highlighting AI, IoT and cybersecurity as key drivers of digital transformation across the oil and gas value chain, with adoption shifting from isolated deployments to integrated digital ecosystems.

Rockwell Automation’s PartnerNetwork ecosystem and energy-specialist collaborators will join on stand to showcase integrated solutions across upstream, midstream, LNG and new energy.

“Customers want tested solutions that reduce project risk and deliver lifecycle value,” Eren continued. “By combining our integrated architecture with partner innovation, we help producers and equipment manufacturers standardise designs, enable virtual commissioning and support remote diagnostics, shortening time-to-first-oil or gas and improving total cost of ownership.”

For more information, visit Rockwell Automation at ADIPEC, in Hall 15 at stand #15140.

Al-Bahar will demonstrate how businesses mainly in the oil and gas Industry can combine high performance with lower operational and environmental costs. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Mohamed Abdulrahman Al-Bahar, the authorised dealer for Cat® Equipment in UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, is participating in ADIPEC 2025 through the theme ‘Powering a Sustainable Future, Together.’, reflecting its power solutions built for sustainability, performance, and reliability

As the global energy landscape undergoes a fundamental transformation with sustainability and emission reduction lying at the core of future strategies, Caterpillar is at the forefront of this transition with high-efficiency engines, rebuild programmes, and data-driven lifecycle solutions. Caterpillar and its regional dealer Al-Bahar, aim to support their customers in reducing operating costs, minimising carbon footprint, and extending equipment lifecycles without compromising on performance.

“This year at ADIPEC, we are excited to demonstrate how businesses mainly in the oil and gas Industry can combine high performance with lower operational and environmental costs. And by way of such solutions, we encourage our customers to achieve long-term sustainability and profitability,” said Amr Diasty, petroleum, marine & industrial manager at Al-Bahar.

At ADIPEC 2025, Al-Bahar looks forward to engaging with customers, industry leaders, and decision makers across the globe. There will be live product demonstrations, interactive sessions with experts, and personalised consultations where visitors can explore how our solutions can be tailored to meet their specific needs.

They can benefit from first-hand experience on the advanced features of high-efficient products; expert insights on emission-reduction strategies and cost-saving solutions; and examples of how customers in energy-intensive industries are gaining better results with Cat® Engines.

Mohammed Sherif, group aftermarket manager at Al-Bahar said, “We expect to connect with our partners and sharing our vision for smarter, cleaner, and more efficient power solutions, and our presence at ADIPEC 2025 would be another way to honour our valuable customers, whose trust drives us to continuously innovate and raise the bar for performance.”

Come and visit Caterpillar and Al-Bahar in Hall 9, stand no. 9430.