UAE-France deals target energy costs and AI in daily life

For residents and businesses in both countries, the practical outcomes of a diplomatic visit often matter more than the ceremony surrounding it. That was the case in Abu Dhabi this week, where the UAE-France Business Dialogue produced agreements touching two areas with a direct bearing on daily life: the energy that powers homes and industry, and the artificial intelligence tools increasingly shaping services and the economy.

The dialogue took place at Qasr Al Watan, attended by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and French President Emmanuel Macron, who witnessed the signings in person.

In his opening remarks, Sheikh Khaled framed the partnership in terms of what it delivers for people. The friendship between the UAE and France, he said, spans more than five decades and rests on trust, mutual respect and a shared vision. Shifts in the global economy, he added, make cooperation on secure, reliable energy supplies and resilient supply chains more important than ever, alongside closer work on artificial intelligence. He described the dialogue as a chance to turn shared priorities into strategic investments and major projects.

The energy agreements speak most directly to everyday needs. ADNOC Gas and Schneider Electric agreed to examine new technologies aimed at improving how energy systems run, work that bears on the reliability and efficiency of the supply households and businesses depend on. ADNOC Refining and Technip Energies signed two contracts, one to expand refining capacity and another for a sustainable aviation fuel project, developments with implications for fuel availability and the environmental footprint of air travel.

On the technology side, three agreements were signed between French firm AMI Labs and three UAE entities: Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), G42 and Analog. The pacts cover AI research, cloud computing and the use of AI in robotics, fields that increasingly influence how public and private services are delivered.

Meanwhile, the two leaders also witnessed the exchange of a Strategic Defence Partnership Framework between the two countries, along with an agreement on the defence industry. These were exchanged by Mohamed bin Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, and Dr Nasser Humaid Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement, together with France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, Catherine Vautrin, and Delegate-General for Armaments Patrick Pailloux.

Beyond the signings, the dialogue included two panel discussions, one on the future of energy and one on the role of AI in reshaping the economy. Both brought together ministers and business leaders from the two countries, giving policymakers and industry figures a forum to discuss how these sectors will evolve and what that means for the citizens they serve.

The event also highlighted Campus AI, a project led by MGX with French and international partners to build advanced computing and AI infrastructure in France, presented as part of the broader technology cooperation between the two states.

The dialogue came during President Macron’s official visit to the UAE, which began with talks with UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Taken together, the agreements signal a deepening of cooperation in areas that reach beyond government-to-government ties. Energy reliability, fuel capacity, and the development of AI infrastructure and research all carry consequences for the wider public, from the cost and stability of power to the technologies that will shape future economies. The task now, as the dialogue itself suggested, is to convert these signed frameworks into projects that deliver tangible benefits on both sides.