WGES 2026 explores how artificial intelligence can become a net-positive force for the green economy

Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO) are organising the 12th World Green Economy Summit (WGES) on 21 and 22 October 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, under the theme ‘From Success to Scale: Showcasing the Green Economy’.

This year, WGES 2026 will focus on four main thematic pillars: Energy Technology & Infrastructure, Business Strategy & Transition, Water & Food Security and Finance, alongside three cross-cutting themes: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Governance and System Enablers.

Across its various thematic pillars, WGES 2026 will define the conditions under which AI becomes a net-positive force for the green economy, from establishing energy efficiency standards for data centres to deploying AI-driven grid optimisation at scale.

“AI is one of the green economy’s most powerful accelerators. However, realising its full potential depends on our ability to build sustainable energy systems. WGES examines models, strategies and innovative solutions for building smart, resilient infrastructure capable of keeping pace with AI’s energy demands. At the same time, AI can enable smarter energy management, strengthen predictive analytics for environmental risk mitigation, improve emissions monitoring and enhance agricultural productivity,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, MD & CEO of DEWA and Chairman of WGEO.

“WGES underscores the UAE’s leading position in adopting AI technologies and integrating them across various aspects of life, underpinned by advanced infrastructure, strong government support and highly developed digital capabilities. Today, AI helps save more than two million hours of manual work each month while reducing operating costs by up to 80%. The summit also showcases the UAE’s experience in reshaping operating models across energy, water and other vital sectors by making AI a key driver of performance, resilience and efficiency,” added Al Tayer.

The Future Opportunities Report: The Global 50 2026, published by Dubai Future Foundation, notes that AI development is increasing the need for sustainable energy. A typical AI-focused data centre can consume as much electricity as 100,000 homes, while global data centre electricity demand is expected to more than double to 945 TWh by 2030. This underscores the urgent need to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

At the World Green Economy Summit 2026, a distinguished group of international experts and officials will discuss ways to strengthen the role of AI in climate action and enable data centres to rely on clean and renewable energy, given the substantial energy and water requirements of AI-powered data centres.

Mohammed Bin Sulaiman, CEO of Moro Hub, said: “AI has emerged as a driving force reshaping the digital economy and its infrastructure requirements, alongside the rapid growth in demand for computing power and energy. As a result, digital expansion is no longer solely about performance and capacity; it is also about our ability to achieve this growth efficiently and sustainably, while developing digital infrastructure capable of meeting future demands without compromising environmental goals.”

Jonathan Maxwell, founder and Group CEO of Sustainable Development Capital LLC, said: “Data centres are the fastest-growing source of new electricity demand in the world, and the grid cannot build wires fast enough to serve them. The queue is the bottleneck; proximity is the bypass. Power generated behind the meter, on site and close to the load, with waste heat recovered rather than thrown away, is the fastest, cheapest and most secure way to keep the digital economy running.”

Danny Touma, Global Co-Lead for AI Infrastructure and Deals Energy Transition Lead at PwC Middle East, said: “The rapid growth of AI infrastructure is creating new demands on power systems, capital and the wider infrastructure ecosystem. Meeting these needs will require more than individual technologies or projects; it will depend on close collaboration between governments, investors, developers and technology leaders.”

Sanjay Kommera, CEO of Accel1, said: “The cities of the future will be built on a new layer of intelligent climate infrastructure – connecting environmental intelligence, clean energy, water systems, atmospheric technologies, AI and Earth observation into one integrated ecosystem. When these capabilities move from isolated projects to infrastructure deployed at scale, sustainability becomes embedded in the everyday functioning of our cities and economies. The World Green Economy Summit is an important global platform to accelerate this transition.”

Darren Kimura, President and CEO of AISquared, said: “The future of AI depends on sustainable energy systems we have yet to build. AI’s energy appetite is already outpacing our infrastructure. To move from success to scale, the green economy must prioritise platforms that make AI operational, measurable and ecologically scalable. Those innovations will drive long-term, sustainable growth.”