Schneider Electric concludes innovation summit in UAE

Schneider Electric successfully concluded its Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa in Abu Dhabi, gathering over 2,500 attendees from government, industry, and academia. The summit focused on the convergence of energy, artificial intelligence, and industrial software to reshape the region's future. Schneider Electric launched its UAE Industrial AI Study, revealing that UAE manufacturers are leading in industrial AI adoption, with 23% already considering AI a core part of their operations, compared to the global average of 16.3%.

The summit emphasized the shift from decarbonizing energy supply to building intelligent, connected, and resilient systems capable of supporting AI-driven economic growth, reflecting broader trends in the Middle East and Africa driven by rapid urbanization, industrial expansion, and digitalization. Schneider Electric's CEO, Olivier Blum, highlighted the importance of embedding AI in the physical economy, where it runs on electricity and depends on underlying systems.

The summit also marked the signing of an agreement between the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism and Schneider Electric to launch the NEST Accelerator Programme, a 12-week initiative for early-stage startups in energy, industrial, and enterprise AI sectors. The event featured discussions on AI-powered energy operations, grid modernization, data centers as critical infrastructure, and cybersecurity as foundational for digital resilience.

Keynote speakers included H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, and Walid Sheta, President for MEA Zone at Schneider Electric. The summit featured an Innovation Hub showcasing Schneider Electric's technologies and solutions for infrastructure lifecycle management, emphasizing the company's role in advancing energy tech to power intelligence and resilience.