ADNOC Partners OpenAI and G42 to Deploy Frontier
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a multi-year partnership with OpenAI and G42 to integrate advanced artificial intelligence across its energy operations. The agreement makes ADNOC the first energy company globally to deploy OpenAI Frontier.
Announced on November 2, 2026, during ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi, the partnership aims to connect operational, financial and commercial decision-making through interconnected AI agents. Moreover, it will combine OpenAI’s advanced reasoning models with ADNOC’s industrial data and G42’s sovereign AI infrastructure in the UAE.
His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, witnessed the agreement signing.
The initiative marks a significant step in the UAE’s efforts to expand industrial AI adoption. It also supports ADNOC’s ambition to become one of the world’s most technologically advanced energy companies.
AI to Transform Oilfield Planning and Commercial Decisions
The partnership will initially focus on two major applications across ADNOC’s operations.
First, the companies will develop an AI-powered field master planning system. It will combine decades of industrial information from thousands of wells, multiple reservoirs and hundreds of surface facilities.
The system will also assess capital requirements, infrastructure costs and commercial considerations. As a result, ADNOC aims to replace separate technical studies with integrated development plans that consider the entire field.
This approach will help specialists evaluate different development scenarios and optimise investment decisions. It could also significantly reduce the time required to prepare complex field development plans.
The second application will connect intelligence across ADNOC’s energy value chain. This includes production, processing, refining, logistics, sales and trading.
Through interconnected AI agents, the system will analyse crude oil supply, demand, prices and profit margins. It will also assess how operational decisions affect commercial performance across the business.
As a result, ADNOC aims to evaluate the commercial value of every barrel while it remains underground. This could help decision-makers identify opportunities to improve production planning and maximise value across the supply chain.
G42 to Provide UAE-Based AI Infrastructure
The partnership will combine OpenAI’s latest-generation models with ADNOC’s proprietary industrial information and operational expertise. Meanwhile, G42 will provide sovereign AI infrastructure within the UAE to run the systems.
This arrangement will allow ADNOC to apply advanced AI while maintaining control over sensitive operational information. Human specialists will also retain oversight of consequential decisions.
In addition, the agreement includes cybersecurity collaboration through OpenAI’s Daybreak Blue initiative. The programme will help ADNOC’s security teams identify vulnerabilities and strengthen protections for critical energy infrastructure.
The partners will also develop advanced AI solutions and train ADNOC employees to use them effectively. This builds on the company’s existing deployment of ChatGPT Enterprise to more than 40,000 employees, with adoption exceeding 97%.
ADNOC already has more than 200 AI applications and 70 robotics use cases deployed or under development. Therefore, the new agreement extends an established programme of automation and digital transformation across its business.
ADNOC Expands Its Industrial AI Strategy
ADNOC’s partnership with OpenAI and G42 reflects a broader shift towards integrating AI into complex industrial operations. Energy companies increasingly use advanced models to improve planning, analyse operational data and support commercial decisions.
However, the agreement places particular emphasis on connecting intelligence across the energy value chain. Rather than addressing individual tasks independently, the initiative aims to coordinate decisions across production, infrastructure and commercial activities.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the collaboration would combine advanced AI, sovereign infrastructure and industrial expertise to address complex challenges in the energy sector.
ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber described the agreement as a step towards applying AI across the company’s entire business. He also highlighted its potential to improve decision-making, unlock commercial value and strengthen energy security.
The companies have not disclosed the agreement’s financial value or a specific deployment timetable. Nevertheless, the partnership establishes a significant framework for applying agentic AI across the global energy industry.
