Future Digital Twin & Generative AI MIDDLE EAST 2024
31 October 2024 | Abu Dhabi
In collaboration with ADNOC
Foreword by ADAM SOROKA
OOn behalf of Cavendish Group, it was an honor to host the 5th Future Digital Twin Conference and Exhibition, as well as the official physical launch of the Middle East edition in the beautiful city of Abu Dhabi. We were incredibly privileged to feature such a strong lineup of operators and technology innovators who contributed to the program throughout the day. We were also immensely proud to collaborate with ADNOC, Aramco, and Kent for this initiative.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our key partners and sponsors for their continued support and to the Future Digital Twin Middle East advisory board members—Khaled Al Blooshi, VP Digital Projects & Innovation; Abdullah Al Halafi, Network & Systems Specialist for Aramco; and Wassim Ghadban, VP, Global Innovation & Digital Engineering for Kent—who played a crucial role in shaping the agenda, driving the event, and bringing it to life. A special acknowledgment was also made to Shane McArdle, CEO of Kongsberg Digital, and Dr. Michael Grieves for their ongoing support in steering the themes and content as part of our advisory board and steering committee.
The Middle East region is known for it’s technical prowess, disruptive solutions and scientific knowledge and looking at some tangible examples such as NEOM, Masdar City, Aramco 4IR Centre, and ADNOC Panorama making this is a real thought leader in the form of remote operations, AI and the digital twin space. The academic centres are
also held in very high esteem such as the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Both of which are world renowned.
We all understand that digitalisation for the sake of digitalisation is a losing battle and the strategy behind deploying digital twins and AI needs to be purposeful. Aligning the technology strategy with the business strategy will provide a greater understanding of the industrial assets and execute decisions on the insights it provides. Technology platform strategies therefore need to be adaptable and mirror the flexibility of business strategies. Often enough within the oil and energy industry data is siloed, processes run in isolation and workflows are misaligned therefore a digital twin is seen as a connective point of communication between engineering, operations, supply chain and maintenance.
Data is an asset and ultimately needs to be treated as such and fostering a culture that embraces digital technologies is considered more significant than the technology itself. It’s therefore important to explore how we bring individuals across an organisation closer to this convergence. Adopting a user centred approach will enable end users to frame business problems and define requirements. Trust, credibility and smarter AI will come from investing into a strong data foundation whilst building a culture of collaboration will lead to democratising both technology and AI.
Promoting AI Governance through education and training will facilitate this journey which needs to result in ethical AI for responsibility and oversight. Organisations must invest in culture and leadership and effectively establish new ways of working with individuals closer to the asset and placing the end users and the process owners at the core of the strategy and become product owners which in turn will help create the passion and dedication required for scale.
FU TU RE DIGI TAL
In summary, a successful digital transformation project isnt possible without effective collaboration. The importance of modularity and interoperability of technology is critical for enabling greater system-level decision-making and achieving long-term success.
On behalf of Cavendish Group, we expressed our gratitude to all attendees, wishing them every success in their continued digital transformation journeys. The conference was a resounding success, and we looked forward to the valuable outcomes and insights shared throughout the event.
Sincerely,
Adam Soroka CEO of Cavendish Group
Abu Dhabi Plays Host to the Future Digital Twin & GenAI Conference Press Release
The Future Digital Twin & GenAI 2024 conference Middle East, staged in Abu Dhabi by Cavendish Group International, provided an invaluable regional forum to exchange ideas on the future of the energy industry’s most dynamic sectors.
Some 254 delegates from 69 organisations attended the conference on October 31, which was held as a physical event this year, following an enthusiastic reception for Cavendish’s online Middle East event of May 2023.
Attendees at the Beach Rotana Resort conference centre welcomed the opportunity to hear from leading experts and took advantage of the excellent networking opportunities on offer.
Panellists and contributors included some of the digital sector’s most influential innovators and thought leaders from a diverse range of organisations and institutions, including ADNOC, Aramco, Kent, Kongsberg Digital, Khalifa University, Cadmatic, Siemens Energy, Motiva, V2T, Accenture and Bosch, among many others
Digital Twins create digital replicas of physical assets, processes or business systems that carry out predictive
modelling to foresee and avoid potential pitfalls, helping companies navigate the energy transition, improve performance and reduce emissions from their operations. Generative AI is now making them even more effective by making the technology more user friendly and allowing people to extract ever more relevant information.
Cutting-edge themes covered at the event included how to incorporate GenAI into digital twins effectively, using digital twins to hone asset management and autonomous operations, the crucial roles of data sharing, standardization and security in successful implementation, and the need to adopt a people-centric approach when introducing digital technology.
FU TU RE DIGI TAL
Wassim Ghadban, VP, Global Innovation and Digital Engineering at Kent and Chairman of the event’s Advisory Board , said the conference provided a showcase for the way in which digital twins were now being used to generate engineering deliverables
“The combination of digital twin and GenAI is really opening the door for big innovation in our industry. By enabling us to make efficiencies and overcome safety challenges, this is allowing us to finally achieve what we have been trying to do over many years,” he said.
Shane McArdle, CEO of Kongsberg Digital said successful implementation of digital technology was not about replacing people, but about improving how they work together.
“We are a diverse community of professionals from many different roles across the industry, but all working towards the common goal of transforming our organizations,” he said. “At Future Digital Twin conferences, we often start talking about the technology but end up discussing the people. We need to redefine how we how we work, because that is where we get the value from adopting digital technology.”
Adam Soroka, Chief Executive Officer of Cavendish International, highlighted the opportunity presented by the conference to demonstrate how the Middle East region was playing a key role in advancing digital technology.
“The Middle East is a global thought leader when it comes to remote operations, AI and digital twins, with standout examples like NOEM, Masdar City, Aramco’s 4IR Centre and ADNOC Panorama. The region is setting new standards with its technical expertise and disruptive solutions,” he said. In recognition of the Middle East’s contribution to the sector, the event also played host to the Digital Twin Excellence Awards Middle East 2024, which threw a spotlight on the talent being fostered within the region, with ADNOC and Aramco prominent amongst the winners.
PANELLISTS
Here’s what some of the other speakers had to say at the conference:
DR CHRIS COOPER
Executive Advisor, ADNOC, said: “You’ve got to get to the net value. A lot of organisations are building AI-based solutions, and then looking for the problem to solve afterwards. You need to get to the point up front, where you can identify and qualify the solutions that are going to drive most impact and then build those. You can’t go broadbrush, you’ve got to go focused and targeted.”
FATIMA ABDULLA AL ZAABI
VP, Procurement Services, ADNOC, said: “We need to look at customer satisfaction. At the end of the day, we must make sure the metrics we measure are those aligned with the ultimate goals of the companies involved, as we further enable digital technology.”
KARI MANNER
Director of Business Development, Process Industry at engineering software solutions developer Cadmatic said: “While AI will stilltake some time to reach maturity, digital twins are already creating business benefits and implementing them doesn’t have to take two years and cost several million dollars. The quickest digital twin we completed using our platform was completed in one week with multiple integrations.”
NADUN MUTHUKUMARANA
CEO of digital twin and logistics AI specialist V2T said: “Digital twins make a perfect user interface to interact with complex AI, because it no longer requires a lot of technical knowledge to do so. People on both the business and technical side need to be shown how to interact with the technology, how to train it, and how to test it.”
DR SHIVAGAMI GUGAN
Chief Technologist, META, AWS said: “AI is a tremendous enabler, but managing data ownership and governance must come first. AI is only as powerful as the quality and security of the data it uses.”
attendees
FU TU RE DIGI TAL
organizations
89% likely to attend event again 78% rated the usefulness of the event as excellent or good 70% would recommend the event to others
Key TAKEAWAYS
Digital Twins are redefining the energy landscape
Digital twins may not be new, but their ability to generate real, tangible improvements is now more evident than ever. This technology is taking asset performance to the next level.
“The combination of Digital Twin and GenAI is really opening the door for big innovation in our industry,” Wassim Ghadban, VP, Global Innovation and Digital Engineering at Kent, said.
Digital Twins are a key tool in facilitating autonomous operations
Digital twins are already playing a crucial role in running assets autonomously.
“The journey, much like teaching a child, starts off challenging but grows easier and more efficient over time. The shift towards semi-autonomous and autonomous operations is gaining speed,” Ahmed Fathi, AI & Analytics Assistant Manager, Digital Division, ADNOC Distribution. told the conference.
… and speeding up progress towards autonomous design
We are on the road to autonomously-generated design, as well as autonomous operations. Generative AI is revolutionizing how we create, analyse, and visualize data, with capabilities now extending across 1D, 2D, and 3D formats, Wassim Ghadban, VP, Global Innovation and Digital Engineering at Kent said.
“By integrating these foundational layers into our advanced 8D models, GenAI has the potential to autonomously generate all dimensions, creating the ’generative 9th Dimension’ (9D),” he said.
By connecting GenAI to real-time operations data, environmental live-streaming data, simulation models, asset information, and historical project data, we can enable the autonomous generation of 4D, 5D, 6D, 7D, and 8D model. This comprehensive integration completes the end-to-end autonomous lifecycle—a monumental leap for the industrial sector where the GenAI Twin of twins is defining the industrial future, according to Ghadban.
GenAI is still evolving but will become a valuable tool
GenAI has been used for by the industry over recent years and is proving effective in speeding up engineering processes.
“The error rate is still high and requires considerable human validation, but in the coming years, as GenAI reaches maturity, we engineers will utilize it more,” Kari Manner, Director of Business Development, Process Industry at engineering software solutions developer Cadmatic ,said.
AI outcomes need to be rigorously tested
No one should automatically assume AI is producing usable results: AI outcomes need to be rigorously tested to ensure accuracy and eliminate biases.
FU TU RE DIGI TAL
“It’s essential to test AI just like any other system, and sometimes, we need AI to test AI!” noted Nadun Muthukumarana, CEO of V2T.
Policy can be a driver for AI development
The UAE provides an example of how strategic policy can shape the responsible development of AI, with its extensive support for the sector.
“It used to be that technology led, and governance followed. Now, policy can lead the way,” said Abdulla Eissa Alhammadi, UAE National AI Program Alumni .
Data sharing is key to the success of Digital Twins
Collaboration within and between organisations on the data needed to feed Digital Twins and AI-powered processes in the energy industry or any other industrial sector. And it’s not just about efficiency and growth, it is about survival in an increasingly competitive world.
“Those companies that lock up their data will die,” Shane McArdle, CEO, Kongsberg Digital, told the conference.
That means data ownership, governance and security are increasingly important
Digital twins are already enhancing operations across the energy sector, but this success needs to be accompanied by strong cybersecurity measures. But some speakers said parts of the oil and gas industry are not prioritising cybersecurity to the same level as other industries.
AI needs to be transparent, trustworthy and privacyconscious to truly move the business forward. While these elements are crucial, they’re often lacking in
today’s AI processes and need to be built in from the start, panellists said.
AI is a tremendous enabler, but managing data ownership and governance should be a priority. “AI is only as powerful as the quality and security of the data it uses,” Dr Shivagami Gugan, Chief Technologist, META, AWS, told the conference.
Users must be put at the heart of AI innovation …
If end users aren’t satisfied with their implementation, AI tools will not realise their potential to transform businesses. They are a means to an end, not an end in themselves.
“We need to look at customer satisfaction. At the end of the day, we must make sure the metrics we measure are those aligned with the ultimate goals of the companies involved, as we further enable digital technology,” Fatima Abdulla Al Zaabi, VP, Procurement Services, ADNOC, told the conference.
… and have the necessary skills to use it.
For AI to be effective, people need to understand it. Panellists emphasized the importance of upskilling staff to see AI’s potential in their roles, enabling them to come up with innovative applications.
“Digital twins make a perfect user interface to interact with complex AI, because it no longer requires a lot of technical knowledge to do so. People on both the business and technical side need to be shown how to interact with the technology, how to train it, and how to test it,” said Nadun Muthukumarana, CEO of Digital Twin and logistics AI specialist V2T.
Human expertise is the main driver for AI
Human Expertise + AI: Human expertise is an essential part of the equation.
“GenAI needs really refined and very specific contextual data. If there is any kind of inconsistency, it can go wrong. So, you need a subject matter expert to understand the given business situation, and then deploy Gen AI. Then we will start making progress,” said Prahallad CR, Head of Technology and Innovation at Bosch Digital Twin Industries.
Plan the introduction of AI innovation carefully
Panellists said GenAI must either save costs or improve your business to for its value to be realised.
FU TU RE DIGI TAL
Dr Chris Cooper, Executive Advisor, ADNOC, highlighted that AI should be built with specific solutions in mind, rather than creating AI tools and then searching for suitable applications.
“You need to get to the point up front, where you can identify and qualify the solutions that are going to drive most impact and then build those. You can’t go broadbrush, you’ve got to go focused and targeted,” he told the conference.
Ask the right questions
The industry also needs to be given enough time to obtain the high-quality data required before using Generative AI models for predictive maintenance and other applications. This is especially the case for older oil and gas developments, where the necessary high-quality data is not readily available in the formats required.
Panellists said companies need time to find the right partners to work with to produce the right data to improve performance management.
The quality of what we get from AI depends on asking it the right questions.
“We are not training students just to be problem solvers, but also as problem setters. It’s hard to ask the question that will get you the most useful results. Coming up with the right question is 90% of your work,” one academic at a Middle Eastern university told the conference,
Future Digital Twin
TESTIMONIALS
“The event was well organized and had key solution providers with focus on EPC. Various key topics were discussed as part of the program during the event with great participation from the audience.”
FAYEZ KHARBAT
Digital Transformation Senior Consultant, Saudi Aramco
“I was honored to be part of the Future Digital Twin Middle East event, a premier gathering where the convergence of innovation and industry expertise creates a dynamic platform for advancing digital twin technologies. With a thoughtfully curated program, cuttingedge themes, and top-tier participants from around the globe, this event provided invaluable insights into the future of digital transformation.”
PROFESSOR MEROUANE DEBBAH
Senior Scientific AI Advisor, Technology Innovation Institute
“In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, Digital Twin is no longer just a luxury, but an essential tool for staying ahead of the competition. They serve as a powerful bridge that effectively close any gap for industries striving to lead the pack.”
SALEH AL-WADEI
Senior Project Manager, Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company (YASREF)
“I had the pleasure to participate, speak and interact at the inaugural Future Digital Twin & GenAI Middle East Conference, held in Abu Dhabi. The conference proved a resounding success, drawing leading industry experts from organizations such as ADNOC, Aramco, Kent, and Kongsberg. Focused on driving digital twin and generative AI adoption within the region, the conference yielded key insights:
Data as a Valuable Asset: Speakers challenged the industry’s historical struggle with data accessibility, presenting compelling case studies that underscored the critical need to leverage data effectively for optimized operational resilience and performance.
‘Twin of Twins’ for Enhanced Decision-Making: The conference advocated for the ‘Twin of Twins’ concept, a framework enabling more comprehensive and nuanced simulations for improved decision-making across the industry.
FU TU RE DIGI TAL
Generative AI and Immersive Technologies as Catalysts: Discussions explored the transformative potential of generative AI and the role of augmented and virtual reality in accelerating the development and adoption of advanced digital twin solutions.
This landmark event fostered invaluable knowledge exchange and collaboration among attendees. Special recognition is extended to Adam and the Cavendish team, event sponsors, and local organizations for their instrumental contributions to the conference’s success.!”
DR. SATYAM PRIYADARSHY CEO, Reignite Future
Advisory Board & Speakers
ADVISORY BOARD
Michael Grieves, Executive Director & Chief Scientist, Digital Twin Institute
Khaled Al Blooshi, VP, Digital Projects & Innovation, ADNOC
Abdullah Al Halafi, Network and Systems Specialist, Digital Twin, Saudi Aramco
Wassim Ghadban, VP, Global Innovation and Digital Engineering, Kent
Shane McArdle, CEO, Kongsberg Digital
STEERING COMMITTEE
Dr Soliman Almadi, Principal Scientist, Process & Control Department, Saudi Aramco
Fayez Kharbat, Digital Transformation Senior Consultant, Saudi Aramco
Dr Wael El Ghandour, Lead Scheduling Engineer, Saudi Aramco
Dina Alamer, Lead IT Systems Analyst, Saudi Aramco
Abdulaziz Alshehri, Senior Project Engineer, Saudi Aramco
Dhafer Algarni, Project Management & Industrial Services Division Manager, Saudi Aramco
Saud Alrasheed, IT Applications Specialist, Saudi Aramco
ElFadl Zaki Ibrahim, Upstream AI & Digital Transformation
SPEAKERS
Khaled Al Blooshi, VP, Digital Projects & Innovation, ADNOC
Abdullah Al Halafi, Network and Systems Specialist, Digital Twin, Saudi Aramco
Fayez Kharbat, Digital Transformation Senior Consultant, Saudi Aramco
Wassim Ghadban, VP, Global Innovation and Digital Engineering, Kent
Awad El Sidiq, Head of AI & Analytics, ADNOC Distribution
Youssef Sami Salem, CFO, Finance & Controls Division, ADNOC
Abdulla Eissa Alhammadi, Technology Advisor, AI Program, ADNOC
Yara Alatrach, EMEA Energy Industry Advisor, Microsoft
Shane McArdle, CEO, Kongsberg Digital
Saad Tounzi, Digital Projects Department Manager, ADNOC
Distribution
Michael Deighton, SVP, Operations, Kent
Ebrahim bin Khalid Al Khalifa, SVP Business Development & International Government Relations, Bapco Energies
Program Lead, ADNOC
Dalia Abdallah, Technology Manager, ADNOC
Professor Merouane Debbah, Senior Scientific AI Advisor, Technology Innovation Institute
Dr Wael Ziadat, VP, SPE Chairman
Maxim Krayushkin, Growth & Partnerships Lead, AIQ
Saleh Al-Wadei, Senior Project Manager, Yanbu Aramco Sinopec
Refining Company (YASREF)
Majed AlFulaiti, VP, Panorama Digital Command Center, ADNOC
Muhammad Ahmad, Specialist, Smart Field (Surface Facilities), ADNOC
Adam Williams, Senior Manager, Engineering Technology & Design, Motiva Enterprises LLC
Michael Deighton, SVP, Operations, Kent
Nadun Muthukumarana, CEO, V2T
Dr Wael Ziadat, VP, SPE Chairman
Prahallad CR, Head of Customer Solutions, Bosch
Andreas Gaarder, VP, Middle East & Asia Pacific, FutureOn
Kari Manner, Director, Business Development, Process Industry, Cadmatic
Wael Madhoun, Senior Program Manager, AIQ
Manish Thakur, OT Network & Cybersecurity Manager, Kent
Maxim Krayushkin, Growth & Partnerships Lead, AIQ
Professor Merouane Debbah, Senior Scientific AI Advisor, Khalifa
University, Abu Dhabi
Dr Satyam Priyadarshy, CEO, Reignite Future
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Headline Sponsor: Official Digital Twin Partner / Awards Sponsor:
FU TU RE DIGI TAL
Silver:
Bronze:
Exhibitor: