Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a critical dual-function driver across key economic sectors in Qatar, acting simultaneously as a massive consumer of electrical power and a central tool for enterprise-wide operational optimisation.
Worldwide, data centres currently consume approximately 500 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, accounting for nearly 2% of global electricity consumption, noted Karim el-Hayek, Data Consulting director and Energy Sector Lead at Artefact.
He was speaking during a panel discussion on ‘AI Transforming Qatar’s Key Industries’ held at the ‘Artefact AI Connect Summit Doha 2026’ organised by data and AI consulting firm Artefact, in partnership with malomatia.
El-Hayek highlighted that ongoing energy deployments are focusing heavily on predictive analytics and system optimisation.
Within the hydrocarbons sector, deploying predictive maintenance on critical capital assets, such as multi-million-dollar compressors and turbines, enables plant operators to anticipate potential equipment failures before costly operational outages occur, he pointed out.
According to el-Hayek, this shift from reactive troubleshooting to predictive monitoring has reduced unplanned downtime by almost 30% annually across major industrial operations.
In field development, advanced algorithmic models are also analysing complex seismic and geological key performance indicators to accelerate reservoir characterisation, optimise well production, and refine output forecasting.
El-Hayek said these applications reflect broader industry initiatives across national energy operations, where strategic digital roadmaps are incorporating predictive maintenance, trend budgeting, and reservoir characterisation for liquefied natural gas operations.
In the utilities sector, el-Hayek pointed to demand forecasting for power and water as vital focus areas. At Qatar’s 800-megawatt Al Kharsaah solar power plant, which accommodates up to 10% of the country’s peak electricity load, AI systems monitor panel degradation and cleaning efficiency across its 1.8mn solar panels, according to el-Hayek.
For water desalination, el-Hayek said algorithmic models evaluate operational parametres to optimise production costs and establish efficient energy consumption per cubic metre produced.
Underpinning these sectoral advancements, Samy Hegazy, regional vice president for the Middle East and Saudi Arabia at Informatica, emphasised that building a structured, governed data foundation is an absolute prerequisite before AI model deployment.
Hegazy noted that internal organisational data represents deterministic reality, warning that fragmented data leads to low accuracy and adoption issues regardless of capital investment in GPUs or AI models.
He highlighted that establishing AI-ready data infrastructure helped small and medium-sized enterprise projects boost productivity by 40%, while banking institutions achieved up to 70% lead conversion rates. In Qatar, Hegazy cited the National Planning Council’s national data initiative as a prime example of building high-quality, governed data architecture.
Addressing sector-specific deployments, Michel Barakat, partner and Financial Services lead at Artefact, stated that financial institutions have long been at the forefront of AI adoption.
Barakat identified four primary operational categories in banking: sales growth activation, regulatory compliance, risk management, and employee productivity. He noted that global institutions leverage thousands of predictive models daily to determine personalised customer offers, while major networks deploy generative AI to accelerate fraud detection.
Barakat stressed that while AI excels at document review and data synthesis, final strategic judgment, deal evaluation, and ethical considerations must remain under human oversight.
To ensure effective governance, both Hegazy and Barakat recommended that enterprise leaders form dedicated AI governance committees and establish executive roles, such as Chief AI Officers, to guide organisational strategy and workforce change management.
Addressing industry leaders at the summit, Rahul Arya, CEO and managing partner for Artefact Middle East, Southeast Asia & India, noted that local businesses are now prioritising practical implementation.
“What stood out in Doha is the focus on moving from discussions about AI to where it can actually be put to work. Organisations are looking at practical questions around data, use cases and implementation.