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ABU DHABI/WAM
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today received the Honourable Doug Burgum, Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior and Chairman of the National Energy Dominance Council, who is visiting the UAE to attend the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC 2025), taking place from 3 to 6 November.
During the meeting at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi, His Highness and Secretary Burgum discussed the growing ties between the UAE and the United States, particularly in the fields of energy, artificial intelligence, and innovation. Both sides explored opportunities to further enhance collaboration to support the mutual interests of their two countries.
His Highness also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the UAE and the United States to accelerate collaboration in energy and artificial intelligence to drive industrial transformation and economic growth. The agreement is intended to contribute to building a resilient economy, fostering sustainable industrial transformation, and reinforcing national economic security.
The MoU was signed on behalf of the UAE Government by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, and on the US side by the Honourable Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Chairman of the National Energy Dominance Council.
Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said the collaboration reflects the leadership’s vision of building high-impact global partnerships across key sectors. It also underscores the shared commitment of the UAE and the United States to drive technological progress and leverage advanced technologies while building on the two countries’ strong ties in both the energy and AI sectors. The collaboration, he noted, is further proof of the UAE’s firm commitment to using its energy expertise to help shape a modern, knowledge-driven economy.
He added that the UAE and the US are working together to develop smarter, more adaptable energy systems that can meet the rising demands of the AI era, support sustainable growth, and strengthen both economic resilience and energy security. This collaboration will also support the growth of the high-tech manufacturing sector, reinforce supply chains, and lay the groundwork for a competitive, future-ready economy, while advancing the goals of the ‘Make it in the Emirates’ initiative.
Secretary Burgum said that, under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the US energy sector is leveraging artificial intelligence to modernise infrastructure, improve energy systems, and significantly scale up production to meet growing demand. He added that the collaboration between the United States and the UAE reflects the strong commitment President Trump demonstrated during his visit to the UAE earlier this year. Burgum noted that this collaboration would enable both countries to strengthen their global leadership in energy and technology innovation, while protecting their long-term economic and national security interests for future generations.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the UAE and the United States will work together across several critical areas, with a focus on boosting advanced industrial capabilities and adopting future-ready smart manufacturing technologies. The collaboration aims to deliver a major leap in industrial processes, production planning, and logistics – strengthening long-term competitiveness and resilience by tapping into the potential of artificial intelligence, improving energy efficiency, managing smart grids, enabling predictive maintenance, and enhancing energy storage systems.
The agreement also covers the use of AI in robotics, materials engineering, and automation, alongside efforts to promote technical and research collaboration, knowledge sharing, skills development, and capacity building through tailored leadership and specialist training programmes.
The MoU supports the UAE’s broader ambition to become a global hub for industry and advanced technology, in line with the goals of its National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology.
The meeting was attended by H.H. Sheikh H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs; Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Adviser to the UAE President; Dr. Ahmed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Office of Strategic Affairs at the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office; Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States; and a number of senior officials, along with the delegation accompanying the guest.