Abu Dhabi DoE expands tech partnerships during US visit

A delegation from the Department of Energy - Abu Dhabi (DoE), led by DoE Chairman Dr Abdulla Humaid Al Jarwan, concluded an official visit to the United States this week to deepen partnerships in energy and water innovation, regulation and advanced technology. The delegation held high-level meetings in Boston, New York and California with universities, research centres, regulators and global technology and infrastructure companies, and signed several memoranda of understanding covering regulatory cooperation, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, and the modernisation of electricity and water networks.

"The department aims to develop [the Energy and Water Resilience Framework] into a model that could be applied across different markets," the DoE said, signalling Abu Dhabi's intent to export lessons from its resilience planning.

Agreements and technical priorities

During the US visit the DoE outlined plans to establish an AI-powered laboratory in partnership with international academic and research institutions to develop and test advanced solutions for Abu Dhabi’s energy and water sectors. Potential areas of cooperation explicitly mentioned include using quantum computing to improve water-use efficiency, and deploying artificial intelligence and automation to strengthen forecasting, demand management and the operational efficiency of energy and water networks.

• Locations visited: Boston, New York, California
• Key institutional focus: universities, research centres, regulators, global technology and infrastructure companies
• Signed MoUs covering: regulatory cooperation; artificial intelligence and advanced technologies; modernisation of electricity and water networks
• Event engagement: invitations extended to participate in Abu Dhabi Water and Power Week 2026

The visit also focused on building international support for the DoE’s Energy and Water Resilience Framework. The department has framed the framework as a blueprint for resilience that could be adapted for other markets, and used the US meetings to invite collaboration and technical input from academic and commercial partners. Organisations meeting with the delegation were invited to take part in Abu Dhabi Water and Power Week 2026, a convening the DoE says will "bring together decision-makers, experts and global companies to examine future technologies and international cooperation in the sector."

Dr Abdulla Humaid Al Jarwan led the delegation’s engagements as the DoE seeks to accelerate technology transfer and joint research across continents. In addition to research partnerships, the memoranda signed during the trip included commitments to regulatory cooperation intended to smooth transnational testing, certification and potential deployment of emerging technologies in electricity and water systems.

Officials highlighted specific technical priorities that emerged from the meetings: integrating AI into network forecasting and demand management; piloting quantum computing applications to enhance water-use efficiency; and leveraging automation to improve the reliability and responsiveness of electricity and water distribution.

Outlook: The DoE’s US engagement lays groundwork for follow-on projects that could see joint labs, pilot programmes and regulatory dialogues launched in the coming year. With invitations out for Abu Dhabi Water and Power Week 2026, the department aims to convert the memoranda into operational partnerships and demonstrations that validate AI, quantum and automation technologies in real-world Abu Dhabi networks.