Schneider’s 2026 Abu Dhabi Innovation Summit

Schneider Electric is set to host the second edition of the Innovation Summit Middle East & Africa in Abu Dhabi in September 2026.

This gathering will convene global technology leaders, energy executives, and government officials to chart a sustainable course for the region’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.

The timing of the event is critical. Industry forecasts indicate that global electricity demand will experience a compound annual growth rate of 3.6 per cent between 2026 and 2030. Concurrently, the exponential rise in global AI workloads is projected to trigger a staggering 160 per cent surge in data centre power requirements by the end of the decade. These global trends are distinctly magnified in the Middle East and Africa, where rapid urban development, extensive desalination projects, and the rollout of ambitious national giga-projects are radically altering consumption patterns.

Walid Sheta, Zone President for the Middle East and Africa at Schneider Electric, articulated the sheer scale of this regional transformation. "With electricity consumption in the Middle East and North Africa having tripled since 2000 and on course to grow at an incremental 3-4% every year to register a whopping 50% by 2035 – driven by surging cooling, desalination, and urbanization demands, the region is at an inflection point," he stated.

Recognising that reliable power is no longer merely a utility but a fundamental pillar of economic stability, Sheta added, "Energy today is the foundation of national resilience and competitiveness," framing the core ethos of the upcoming September summit.

The selection of the United Arab Emirates capital as the host city is a deliberate nod to the nation’s proactive stance on sustainability and technological integration. "Abu Dhabi's emergence as a regional hub for energy transition, digital infrastructure, and innovation makes it an ideal fit for the Summit. The UAE's net-zero ambitions and large-scale investments in power and digital infrastructure highlight the scale of the challenge and the opportunity to embed energy intelligence into the region's next wave of growth," explained Sheta.

Throughout the event, attendees will explore how to integrate electrification, automation, and digital intelligence across industrial applications, commercial buildings, and power grids. The summit will heavily feature an immersive 3,000-square-foot Innovation Hub Experience. This space will provide tailored customer experiences, guided tours, and live demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies engineered to modernise grid infrastructure and maximise energy efficiency.

A prominent highlight of the two-day schedule is the exclusive, invitation-only CEO Forum, held in partnership with Forbes Middle East. This closed-door session will gather over one hundred C-suite executives to foster strategic partnerships and formulate actionable public-private collaborations.

Moreover, the summit will spotlight regional benchmarks and real-world success stories drawn from over eighty countries. Showcases will include groundbreaking operational improvements, such as the deployment of EcoStruxure Power & Grid for Senegal’s National Electricity Company, which successfully slashed network recovery times from three hours to a mere three minutes. Additionally, discussions will highlight sustainability milestones, such as the total elimination of SF6 greenhouse gases and comprehensive carbon footprint reductions achieved by agricultural producers in South Africa.

Schneider Electric aims to utilise these case studies to demonstrate that intelligent energy management can seamlessly align with both operational excellence and environmental stewardship.

"Innovation Summit Middle East & Africa underscores our dedication to accelerating energy technology innovation and powering energy intelligence throughout the region. This edition will emphasize our emergence as the trusted energy technology partner guiding the region's next phase of transformation," Sheta affirmed.

As cloud computing and high-performance technologies become increasingly intertwined with national success, the summit promises to deliver vital strategies for a resilient future. By bridging the gap between ambition and actionable technology, the event will empower stakeholders to navigate an increasingly AI-driven world. Summarising the broader vision of the gathering, Sheta concluded, "This Summit offers a roadmap of what's next as we continue to redefine the relationship between energy and digital capability."