Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) is forming a strategic partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s largest state-owned oil company to pioneer the global digital carbon neutrality market.
Based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the strategy involves jointly developing a decarbonization optimization system for large-scale refining and petrochemical processes, leading the global carbon neutrality era.
On the 10th at 2 p.m. local time, UNIST signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) to lead the global digital carbon neutrality market with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Group at the UAE Abu Dhabi Energy Center.
The agreement was jointly signed by UNIST President Yong-Hoon Lee, ADNOC Group CTO Sophie Hildebrand, and Omar Al Marzooqi, CEO of AIQ, ADNOC’s AI-specialized subsidiary.
According to the agreement, UNIST and ADNOC Group will launch two leading digital carbon neutrality projects starting in the second half of this year and plan to establish a joint digital carbon neutrality research center as early as this year.
The leading projects include “Development of AI for multi-stage continuous process optimization of liquid chemical products in refining and petrochemical plants” and “Development of an environmental monitoring system using AI and satellite imagery.”
Once the joint research center is launched, three joint projects will be pursued: “Development of optimized refining processes using AI,” “Development of decarbonized and sustainable refining processes,” and “Establishment of an eco-friendly hydrogen industry model.”
(From left) AIQ CEO, ADNOC Director General of International Low Carbon Growth, ADNOC CTO, ADNOC Director General of Upstream, President Lee Yong-hoon, and Professor Im Han-kwon are taking a commemorative photo for the signing of the SCA.
Additionally, both institutions have agreed to actively cooperate in building a national-level ‘Digital Carbon Neutrality Strategic Partnership’ involving central and local governments, research institutes, and private companies from both Korea and the UAE.
To this end, an ADNOC Group delegation will visit UNIST and Ulsan City in the second half of this year to discuss specific joint cooperation plans.
UNIST President Yong-Hoon Lee stated, “This agreement establishes UNIST’s status as a leading institution in the global digital carbon neutrality field. We will strive to serve as a catalyst for expanding strategic cooperation between Korea and the UAE in digital carbon neutrality, especially with ADNOC’s return visit in the second half of this year.”
Established in 2022, the UNIST Graduate School of Carbon Neutrality has led research in the digital carbon neutrality field in collaboration with the Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence and has been promoting cooperation with the UAE side in the global digital carbon neutrality sector since the second half of 2022.
The ADNOC Group, which signed the agreement with UNIST, is led by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, who also serves as the COP-28 President.
Last year, ADNOC allocated $15 billion (approximately 20 trillion KRW) as a low-carbon growth budget and established the ‘Low Carbon International Growth Division,’ a related organization, leading climate change response policies.
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