Later this year, the company plans to unveil the first net zero building in the UAE at Cop28.
According to its chief executive, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi intends to use artificial intelligence to develop more effective and intelligent methods to promote the smart city agenda for the UAE capital.
Ahmed Baghoum claims that the sustainable research and development center, a division of Masdar, the renewable energy company based in Abu Dhabi, aims to gather and analyze data in a “swift manner” to support its objectives.
On the sidelines of the Envision conference in Dubai, which was put on by the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, commonly known as du, he added that this would help people see patterns in the consumption of water and power, as well as in transportation and mobility, and it would also help them become more efficient.
The “creation of the next wave” of structures and other assets, which will be supported by improved monitoring and control, will be significantly aided by smart technology as well, he added.
“AI is a major player in today’s world; it forms the foundation of every industry. Therefore, Mr. Baghoum remarked, “AI is unquestionably very crucial to us in order to establish more seamless processes and automations to run those cities.
Buildings and assets are now communicating with one another more frequently. This richness of data will be crucial in helping to construct a motivated and integrated society.
Masdar City is creating the first net-zero buildings in the UAE, which will use solar power and include several high-tech features.
According to Mr. Baghoum, additional projects as well as the “grand opening” of one of the buildings will be revealed at the next Cop28 climate conference in November, which the UAE will be hosting.
Masdar City also provides significant financial support to businesses that create green technology.
Currently, its portfolio includes more than 1,000 businesses that are committed to long-term economic, financial, social, and environmental sustainability. These businesses include both large corporations and small and medium-sized businesses.
“We work directly with our partners to draw in all the technologies to pilot them and then implement them at Masdar City,” Mr. Baghoum stated.
“We act as a testing ground for their technologies, allowing them to advance and experience the impact of their technologies firsthand,”
Thanks to its digital-first initiatives, Abu Dhabi has maintained its position as the most intelligent city in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the International Institute for Management Development’s Smart City Index for 2023 published in May.
The most recent information and communication technologies are used in smart cities to connect people and objects, increase operational effectiveness, and stimulate total economic activity.
In three assessments starting in 2020, Mena ranked Abu Dhabi as the smartest city, placing it 13th overall. In 2022, the IMD did not publish an index.
Dubai’s overall position of 17th made the UAE, along with Switzerland, Australia, and Germany, one of only four nations with multiple cities in the top 20.
According to a previous statement by Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute, the two emirates are also “well positioned” to lead the way in developing into fully developed smart cities. A number of initiatives have been put forth to aid in the transition to a cutting-edge digital economy.
Masdar City, meanwhile, is still concentrating on sustainability-related innovation. It was revealed last month by Adnoc and National Central Cooling Company that Masdar City would be the “first project” in the Gulf to use geothermal energy for power.
“The UAE is at the forefront of sustainability; it is no longer a wish-list item or a “nice to have” concept. It’s hardly surprising that it is now a necessity, according to Mr. Baghoum.
“Sustainability has risen to the top and established itself as the standard. We occasionally had doubts about whether sustainability would be successful, but we have shown that it is.
The projects of Masdar City are intended to assist the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategic Initiative, which calls for investing Dh600 billion ($163 billion) in clean and renewable energy sources over the following three decades.
According to Mister Baghoum, Our long-term goal is to pioneer, advance, and focus efforts on going net zero by 2050, of course.
“We’d like to do that ahead of time and be in the forefront of the efforts.”