With more than two billion people lacking safe drinking water and demand projected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030, Saudi Arabia will host one of the world’s leading events dedicated to water innovation and sustainability.

The Innovation Driven Water Sustainability Conference (IDWS 2025) will be held from 8-10 December 2025 at The Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah, under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and organised by the Saudi Water Authority (SWA).

The conference will bring together international leaders, policymakers, and innovators to address urgent water challenges and accelerate progress toward a secure water future.

A key feature of the event is the Global Prize for Innovation in Water (GPIW), the region’s largest water innovation award, which supports breakthrough technologies by connecting innovators with investors and enabling pilot projects in the Kingdom and globally.

IDWS 2025 will also host the second edition of Miyahthon, a hackathon aimed at young innovators and startups developing solutions across the water cycle. The programme includes mentorship, bootcamps, and pathways for incubation and commercialisation.

To strengthen sector capabilities, the Water Academy will introduce advanced professional development programmes in partnership with London Business School and international training institutions.

The conference will also feature technical workshops, peer-reviewed research presentations, and a major exhibition showcasing cutting-edge desalination, treatment, and resource management technologies from companies such as Siemens, ABB, SSEM, ACWA Power, KSB, the Local Content & Government Procurement Authority, and Toray.

IDWS 2025 will gather leading global experts, reflecting its ambition to unite decision-makers across government, finance, academia, and industry.

Mehaideb Saleh Al Mehaideb, chairman of the supervisory committee of the IDWS, said, “Through the Innovation Driven Water Sustainability Conference, the Kingdom reaffirms its global leadership in advancing sustainable water management. IDWS embodies our shared vision to harness innovation, technology, and collaboration to ensure long term water security. By convening the world’s brightest minds and honoring breakthrough solutions through the Global Prize for Innovation in Water, we are creating a legacy of impact that extends well beyond our borders”

To encourage public engagement, the Saudi Water Authority will also launch the “Water Content Creators Award”, a national initiative designed to inspire creative Arabic-language content on water sustainability. The award includes multiple thematic tracks and is open to both individuals and organisations.

ServeU drives water innovation with PureBlue Water

In a strategic move advancing the UAE’s sustainability agenda, ServeU LLC, the facilities management subsidiary of Union Properties PJSC, has entered a partnership with PureBlue Water, a Dutch specialist in decentralised wastewater treatment technologies

The collaboration aims to deploy advanced distributed water treatment systems across residential, commercial, industrial, and leisure developments throughout the UAE.

ServeU brings its extensive regional presence and integrated facilities management capabilities, while PureBlue Water contributes its compact, high-efficiency treatment modules designed to operate at source rather than rely on large centralised sewer networks. These systems bypass extensive pressurised pipelines and traditional large-plant infrastructure, offering faster deployment, reduced construction and maintenance costs, and enhanced operational efficiency. The treated effluent is suitable for reuse on-site, such as for irrigation of golf courses, rooftop gardens, and shaded community spaces, thereby conserving freshwater resources and promoting greener landscapes.

Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UAE’s climate action objectives, this initiative underscores a shift toward circular economy water management and sustainable infrastructure delivery. ServeU’s commitment to embedding sustainable solutions across its operations is reinforced through this venture, as the company accelerates its transformation into a provider of smart, environmentally conscious built environment services.

Together, ServeU and PureBlue Water are delivering a model for the future, where modern infrastructure supports efficient water reuse, cost-effective operation, and the creation of sustainable ecosystems across the UAE’s built environment sectors.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE), in collaboration with Presight, unveiled the brand identity and phased roadmap of its pioneering artificial intelligence platform, AD.WE, during GITEX Global 2025 in Abu Dhabi. The Department also presented five new AI-driven applications for resource management, further strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position as a global leader in energy and water innovation.

The launch ceremony was attended by His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Hamid Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy; His Excellency Mansour Al Mansouri, Vice Chairman of Presight; and Thomas Pramotedham, CEO of Presight.

Showcased at the Abu Dhabi Government Pavilion, AD.WE was a centrepiece of GITEX Global, featuring a live, interactive dashboard demonstrating how Abu Dhabi had become a world leader in applying artificial intelligence to enhance government services and citizen wellbeing.

AD.WE represented a world-first AI-powered platform designed to optimise energy and water use by consolidating billions of live and historical grid records into a secure, UAE-hosted cloud. The platform provided operators with a unified view of all energy and water networks across the Emirate. Real-time AI analysis identified efficiency opportunities, enabling savings of up to 30% in water and 20% in energy, and more than AED 100 million in financial savings. It also supported outage reduction and the achievement of sustainability targets.

Powered entirely by sustainable, carbon-free electricity, AD.WE would gradually expand beyond electricity and water to integrate district cooling and petroleum products. Once fully operational, the platform was projected to save 160 million cubic metres of water annually and 1.9 TWh of electricity each year, enough to power over 37,000 homes by 2035.

The DoE also showcased early use cases at GITEX, including farm irrigation optimisation, intelligent leak detection, consumption intelligence, and network planning. These demonstrations showed how AI could cut water and electricity usage by up to 10%, ease grid pressure, accelerate leak response, and support more efficient long-term planning.

The roadmap for AD.WE’s development was presented in three phases. Phase One (2025) would focus on validating core platform capabilities; Phase Two (2025–26) would expand integration across utilities; and Phase Three (by GITEX 2026) would introduce advanced, agentic AI for next-generation applications.

His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Humaid Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, stated, “From its leading position in the energy and water sector, and through the AD.WE platform, Abu Dhabi is delivering a first of its kind solution that advances sustainability, energy efficiency, and digital transformation. Powered by artificial intelligence and 100% carbon-free electricity, AD.WE strengthens energy and water resilience and supports Abu Dhabi’s strategic framework for utilities, charting a clear course toward a secure and sustainable future.”

Thomas Pramotedham, CEO of Presight, added, “AD.WE represents a bold leap forward in how data and AI can transform the utilities sector. At Presight, we are proud to co-create this pioneering and world leading platform with the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, showcasing the power of AI to drive sustainability, efficiency, and resilience.”

The Dammam Independent Sewage Treatment Plant (ISTP) was officially inaugurated earlier this week. (Image source: Metito)

The Dammam Independent Sewage Treatment Plant (ISTP) was officially inaugurated earlier this week. 

Delivered by a consortium led by Metito Utilities alongside Mowah and Orascom Construction, the project marks a major step forward in supporting Saudi Vision 2030’s National Water Strategy through an innovative Public–Private Partnership (PPP) framework.

Awarded by the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), the Dammam ISTP was developed with a total investment of SAR690mn (US$185.26mn) under a 25-year Build–Own–Operate–Transfer (BOOT) model. The plant has an initial capacity of 200,000 m³/day, expandable to 350,000 m³/day, serving nearly one million residents in western Dammam.

The performance-based PPP model mobilizes private sector capital, technology, and expertise to deliver critical infrastructure that meets the Kingdom’s growing water demands.

The plant utilises Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) technology, achieving high treatment efficiency while reducing civil works and tank volumes. Its sustainable design incorporates anaerobic digestion to convert sludge into biogas for on-site use, alongside solar drying greenhouses that harness Dammam’s abundant sunlight. These features minimise emissions and reduce operational costs.

Construction, which began in 2020 after financial close, recorded over 6.9 million safe man-hours with zero lost-time incidents (LTIs), created hundreds of local jobs, and enhanced sustainability through resource recovery and reduced landfill dependency. The project contributes directly to several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).