ADNOC announced, in a release posted on its site recently, that it has expanded its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education program “to empower UAE students in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology through an initiative called ‘STEM for Life: Future of AI Schools Challenge’”.
The release highlighted that the Challenge was launched in January 2025 and recently held its finals at the Abu Dhabi Energy Center. The Challenge received 14,500 applicants from 351 schools across the country, according to the release, which pointed out that 896 teachers helped students to “design, build, and pitch AI solutions that addressed one of three themes: creating real-world impact, demonstrating blue sky thinking, or winning the hearts and minds of local communities”.
A total of 1,500 submissions were received, with 80 students in 27 teams selected to attend the final, the release noted. Winning teams pitched their projects to a jury which included members from the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, the Ministry of Education, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, ADNOC, Khalifa University, ADNOC Technology Academy, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, Microsoft, and Neubio, the release stated.
Following an assessment by the jury, nine teams each were awarded the gold, silver, and bronze positions respectively, the release said, adding that submissions “featured impressive AI-powered solutions”.
The final was attended by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of Education, Abdulla Humaid Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Hajer Ahmed Mohamed Al Thehli, Secretary-General of the Education, Human Development and Community Council, Khalaf Abdulla Rahma Al Hammadi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Pension Fund, and senior ADNOC executives, the release pointed out.
The release also noted that, during the final, ADNOC and AIQ “showcased how ENERGYai, the world’s first agentic AI solution for the energy industry, can be deployed to improve decision making, unlock value, and drive operational efficiencies”.
Saif Al Falahi, Director, Group Business Support & Special Tasks at ADNOC, said in the release, “we warmly congratulate the winning teams of the Future of AI Schools Challenge for their innovative ideas, creativity, and can-do mindset”.
“Through our STEM education program, ADNOC is equipping the UAE’s young talent with the skills and mindset needed to thrive in an AI-driven future,” Al Falahi added.
“As we work to become the world’s most AI-enabled energy company, we will continue to nurture the next generation of innovators who will harness the power of AI to drive progress for the UAE and unlock solutions to global challenges,” Al Falahi continued.
In its release, ADNOC stated that its Future of AI Schools Challenge “aims to equip students with the skills needed for an evolving technology-driven future and harness the potential of AI to create value and solve real-life challenges”.
In a release sent to Rigzone back in January by the ADNOC team, the company revealed that it and AIQ had completed the trial phase of ENERGYai, which ADNOC described as “the world’s first of its kind agentic artificial intelligence solution tailored for the energy sector”.
“The 90 day proof of concept trial demonstrated that ENERGYai’s agentic AI – AI ‘agents’ that are trained in specific tasks across the energy value chain – can deliver significant improvements in the pace and accuracy of upstream exploration through rapid, precise, and detailed seismic survey analysis, alongside relevant, actionable insights to support production optimization at ADNOC’s existing wells,” ADNOC stated in that release.
ADNOC noted in this release that ENERGYai integrates a 70 billion parameter large language model (LLM) with over 50 years of ADNOC’s knowledge and petabytes of its proprietary data “to drive optimization and efficiency across the company’s operations”.
In a speech at CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, which was posted on the ADNOC site back in March, Jaber said, “we first applied AI to our operations five years ago”.
“Today, we have integrated AI comprehensively across the value chain from the control room to the board room. We have created world class solutions specific to our needs through our home-grown AI company, AIQ,” he added.
“Over 200 AI use cases are currently being implemented across ADNOC’s operations, from exploration to refining to logistics and strategic decision making,” he continued.
“Our flagship AI initiative, Energy to the Power of AI, is applying agentic AI at unprecedented scale for the first time,” he went on to state.
On its site, ADNOC states that it is on a mission to become the world’s most AI-enabled energy company, “embedding AI at every layer of our business”.
To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
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