Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and French President attend UAE-France Business Dialogue to strengthen strategic partnership in energy and artificial intelligence

His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, President of France, attended the UAE-France Business Dialogue at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi.

The event was part of joint efforts to strengthen economic and investment ties between the UAE and France and find new ways to work together in key areas, especially energy, artificial intelligence and advanced technology.

In his opening remarks, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed the French President and the delegation accompanying him.

Sheikh Khaled said that the UAE and France have been friends for more than 50 years. Their relationship is built on trust, mutual respect and a shared goal of making progress and creating prosperity.

He said the strategic partnership between the two countries has grown and changed to keep up with developments around the world.

Sheikh Khaled noted that changes in the global economy show why cooperation between the two countries is becoming more important. This cooperation can help ensure energy supplies are secure, reliable and sustainable, and build strong supply chains that can deal with challenges. He also stressed the need for closer cooperation in artificial intelligence and advanced technology. This work builds on the Campus AI initiative that the two countries are developing in France.

Sheikh Khaled said the UAE-France Business Dialogue offers a chance to turn shared goals into strategic investments and major projects in sectors that will shape future economies. The event shows that the UAE is committed to strengthening its partnership with France and turning shared interests and plans into real results that benefit both countries and their people.

The dialogue offers a high-level meeting place where participants can share ideas about the future of important industries, review progress on partnerships and joint projects between Emirati and French companies, and find ways to expand cooperation. These efforts support the economic interests of both countries and help them keep up with rapid changes in the global economy.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the French President attended two panel discussions. The first, titled The Power of Resilience: Shaping the Future of Energy and Beyond, looked at major changes in the energy sector. It discussed the importance of making energy systems stronger, encouraging new ideas and developing sustainable solutions to keep up with global changes and ensure secure, sustainable energy supplies.

The second discussion, titled Beyond Compute: AI Shaping the Future, explored how artificial intelligence is changing economic and industrial sectors. It looked at how advanced technology can create new ways to grow and innovate, and how Emirati and French institutions and companies can work more closely together.

Both discussions brought together ministers and business leaders from the two countries. They shared ideas and experience about future priorities and explored opportunities to cooperate and invest together, helping turn shared goals into partnerships and projects that deliver real economic benefits.

The dialogue highlighted the strong investment and strategic partnerships between the UAE and France, especially in traditional and advanced energy, clean energy and artificial intelligence. Leading UAE companies, including ADNOC, Masdar, MGX and G42, play a key role in building and expanding these partnerships.

The dialogue also highlighted cooperation between the two countries in energy, including liquefied natural gas, energy infrastructure, solutions that produce fewer emissions and renewable energy projects.

This cooperation draws on the knowledge, investment resources and technological skills of both countries. It also reflects their shared commitment to making energy supplies more secure and moving towards energy systems that are more efficient and sustainable.

The dialogue also covered cooperation in artificial intelligence. It highlighted the Campus AI initiative, which brings MGX together with French and international partners to develop advanced computing and AI infrastructure in France. It also highlighted G42's investments in advanced computing infrastructure.

These projects show that both countries want to use strategic investments and technological knowledge to speed up innovation, build skills and capabilities in sectors important to the future, and strengthen their positions in a global economy increasingly driven by knowledge and technology.

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Emmanuel Macron also witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and contracts between Emirati and French institutions and companies. The agreements covered energy, artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology.

In artificial intelligence and advanced technology, three MoUs were signed with AMI Labs to strengthen research and technology cooperation and explore new uses across several important fields.

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) signed an MoU with AMI Labs to strengthen cooperation in AI research and development. The agreement will also support the sharing of scientific and technological knowledge and experience, helping build research and innovation capabilities in this field.

G42 also signed an MoU with AMI Labs to create a framework for strategic cooperation in cloud computing infrastructure and AI models. The two sides will also explore ways to develop advanced technology solutions and use them in practical applications.

Analog signed an MoU with AMI Labs to explore ways to bring AI models into robotics and physical AI applications. This could create new opportunities to develop intelligent systems and expand their use in industry and technology.

In the energy sector, ADNOC Gas and Schneider Electric signed an MoU to assess advanced technologies and opportunities to improve operations. The work aims to increase efficiency and use digital and technological solutions to improve how energy systems perform.

ADNOC Refining and Technip Energies also signed two contracts. One concerns a project to increase refining capacity, and the other concerns a sustainable aviation fuel project.

These contracts show that industrial cooperation between the two countries is continuing, while partnerships are expanding in refinery development and sustainable fuel solutions.

These agreements show that both countries are committed to expanding economic and investment cooperation, bringing their industrial, technological and research strengths closer together, and creating new opportunities for public-private partnerships. The aim is to develop innovative and sustainable solutions in areas that matter to both countries.

The UAE-France Business Dialogue and the agreements signed at the event reflect the strength of the two countries' economic and strategic relationship. They also show that both countries want to deepen cooperation in sectors that will form the basis of future economies.

The dialogue also highlights the commitment of both sides to building on their partnerships and past achievements. By using their investment, industrial and technological strengths, they aim to develop projects with significant impact that support growth, innovation and competitiveness while contributing to shared economic prosperity.