阿联酋、沙特、阿曼……老牌产油国将AI“训练”成新“石油”

Core Viewpoint - Middle Eastern countries, led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are investing heavily in AI, aiming to transform it into a new form of "oil" through their financial resources, geographical advantages, and energy resources [3][5]. Group 1: Investment and Economic Diversification - Saudi Arabia and the UAE have invested over $130 billion in AI to transition towards a "non-oil economy," with AI being a crucial part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, where approximately 70% of the goals involve AI [5]. - The UAE aims for the AI industry to contribute 20% to its non-oil GDP by 2031, with a planned investment of 13 billion dirhams (approximately $3.54 billion) to build an "AI-driven government" [5]. - Oman and Qatar are also making strides, with Oman launching a national AI and advanced digital technology plan and Qatar announcing a $2.5 billion AI investment plan to become one of the top ten digital economies by 2030 [6]. Group 2: Energy and AI Integration - The integration of AI in the energy sector is being explored, with Saudi Arabia focusing on intelligent energy distribution, improving energy efficiency, and sustainable development [9]. - Saudi Aramco has achieved 86% remote monitoring of production equipment through smart oilfield systems, reducing the need for manual inspections by 75% [9]. - The UAE's energy companies are increasingly using AI to control costs and enhance efficiency, with significant investments in AI infrastructure [10]. Group 3: Data Center Development - The Middle East is seen as an ideal location for building data centers due to its abundant energy resources and land availability, with Oracle planning to invest $14 billion in Saudi Arabia's digital cloud and AI infrastructure over the next decade [11]. - AI is projected to generate $320 billion in revenue for Middle Eastern countries, contributing $96 billion to the UAE's economy (13.6% of GDP) and $135.2 billion to Saudi Arabia's economy (12.4% of GDP) by 2030 [11]. - The region's low energy costs and robust electricity infrastructure support the operation of large-scale data centers, with Saudi Arabia's electricity sales reaching 212.263 billion kWh annually [11]. Group 4: Challenges and Future Outlook - Despite the potential, challenges such as high cooling water demands for data centers and a shortage of digital talent hinder AI deployment in the region [12]. - The Middle East is transitioning from a traditional oil and gas hub to a future computing power center, leveraging its capital reserves, energy, and geographical advantages [12].