RIYADH: Artificial intelligence has gone beyond a concept to become the cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's energy sector, reshaping the way oil, gas and power systems are managed and optimized.
Industry giants like Saudi Aramco are incorporating smart systems into their operations to improve efficiency, reliability, and sustainability, making this a key pillar of the kingdom's efforts to modernize its industrial base and diversify its economy.
According to the International Energy Agency, oil and gas companies are among the first to adopt digital technology. The agency estimates that applying AI to power plant operations and maintenance could save up to $110 billion annually by 2035 through reduced fuel consumption and maintenance costs.
For Saudi Arabia, this technological momentum provides both a blueprint and an opportunity. Vision 2030 is transforming the way we explore, refine, and deliver energy through the integration of data and intelligent automation.
At the core of Saudi Aramco's business is a digital transformation strategy centered on artificial intelligence, big data and the Industrial Internet of Things. These technologies are applied at every stage of production, from mapping reservoirs to optimizing drilling to improving efficiency and safety.
AI also underpins Aramco's digital transformation program, which develops in-house smart tools and data-driven platforms designed to reduce emissions, lower costs and improve performance while ensuring reliable energy supplies.
A prime example is the Upstream Innovation Center. There, engineers are implementing AI solutions that reduce fuel gas usage in boilers, improve efficiency, and detect potential leaks through fiber optic monitoring. More than 40,000 sensors monitor approximately 500 wells at the Kreis field through an advanced process control system. This is the first system in Aramco's conventional oil fields. Digitization at Kreis has increased production by approximately 15%, doubled the speed of troubleshooting, and reduced both costs and environmental impact.
These advances demonstrate how Aramco's network is evolving into a connected, adaptive model that blends traditional engineering expertise with digital intelligence.
As Saudi Arabia develops an AI-driven energy economy, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is bridging the gap between digital innovation and industrial applications.
Bernard Ghanem, director of the Generative AI Center of Excellence, said the university is working with Saudi Aramco to develop an AI system to predict the chemical properties of materials and accelerate research into direct air capture technologies for carbon dioxide removal.
He told Arab News that KAUST is partnering with SABIC and ACWA Power to apply AI to process optimization and materials discovery, turning laboratory-scale research into practical solutions for the energy sector.
Ghanem said KAUST's Generative AI Materials Program combines a robotic chemistry laboratory with the AI Chemist Foundation Model, a system that accelerates the development of catalysts, battery materials and membranes for clean energy applications.
“This is our laboratory of the future, automating experiments and accelerating energy innovation,” he said.
Mani Sarathy, a professor of chemical engineering at KAUST, pointed out that AI-based reinforcement learning tools are already improving the efficiency of hydrocarbon refineries by enhancing simulation and shortening analysis cycles.
“AI is helping energy companies run complex simulations that once took weeks, enabling faster and more accurate operational decisions,” he told Arab News.
Sarathy added that the next stage will be a combination of automation and expert monitoring. He explained that as Saudi industry expands its AI implementation, hybrid human-AI control systems are likely to become the norm for critical operations, balancing digital autonomy with safety and reliability.
These initiatives highlight KAUST's growing role in transforming AI from an academic field to a driver of industrial innovation in Saudi Arabia's energy sector under Vision 2030.
Meanwhile, Skeleton Technologies provides AI-powered energy storage solutions to Saudi partners that are already reshaping industrial systems across Europe and beyond. In Europe, the company combines artificial intelligence and advanced materials to reduce energy use and improve efficiency in data centers, power grids, and defense systems.
“Our solution reduces the power consumption of AI infrastructure, reduces the need for grid connectivity, and improves the energy efficiency of AI operations,” Arnaud Castenier, Vice President of Government Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at Skeleton, told Arab News.
Within its factories, Skeleton uses AI-driven digital twin models created in collaboration with Siemens Digital Industries to simulate production, optimize operations and enable predictive maintenance, Castenier said. At the core of its technology is curved graphene, a proprietary carbon material that gives Skeleton's supercapacitors excellent electrical conductivity.
“This allows our supercapacitors to charge and discharge within microseconds, about 12 microseconds, which is not possible with batteries,” Castenier said.
The company's flagship graphene GPU system built on these supercapacitors improves computing performance while reducing energy usage by up to 40% and grid requirements by 45% in AI data centers. The device contains no lithium, nickel or cobalt, and instead uses graphene derived from silicon carbide (essentially sand), which is processed entirely in Germany.
“Building a sustainable AI infrastructure requires not only renewable power, but also energy-efficient hardware,” Castenier added. “Our graphene GPU shows that both can work together.”
As Saudi Arabia continues to combine engineering expertise with digital intelligence, its industrial progress will be measured not just in barrels of oil, but also in the bytes, data, and smart systems that will shape the future of energy.
