India is gearing up to host India Energy Week from January 27 to 30, 2026, in Goa, where discussions will shift focus to the energy demands of artificial intelligence technologies. The event highlights India's role as a key testing ground for the integration of energy infrastructure with AI, as evidenced by a meeting between India's petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Dr. Sultan Al Jaber of ADNOC.
Dr. Al Jaber, who serves as ADNOC's chief executive and is a senior minister in the UAE, underlined the importance of energy transitions during his keynote speech. He identified the growing demand for electricity as a critical challenge, emphasizing that the rapid rise of AI and data centers could significantly impact energy consumption. The International Energy Agency projects that data centers will consume around 1.5% of global electricity, a figure expected to increase sharply by 2026.
Currently, India’s data center capacity is approximately 1.4 gigawatts, lagging behind the U.S. and China. However, the country is poised to expand its infrastructure rapidly, addressing both the demands of cooling systems and the need for increased power supply as the AI landscape evolves.