Senior Aramco executives have highlighted the transformational potential of artificial intelligence (AI), its role in overcoming long-established issues related to corrosion — and possibilities it presents for developing innovative new materials on an industrial scale.

They were speaking at the 19th Middle East Corrosion Conference & Exhibition (MECC) in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where experts gathered to discuss the prevention of corrosion — which has a projected global cost of roughly $3 trillion annually.

During the event, Aramco announced 28 ceremonial MoUs potentially worth more than $1 billion.

The MoUs cover proposed R&D collaborations in advanced materials and technologies, the establishment and localization of manufacturing facilities in the Kingdom, and collaborations for workforce training and development.

The event’s host, Wail Al Jaafari, Aramco Executive Vice President of Technical Services, inaugurated the conference and gave welcoming remarks to the participants. In his address, Al Jaafari emphasized that corrosion is not merely a technical challenge – it is a strategic priority directly linked to operational reliability, safety, and environmental stewardship. 

Al Jaafari said: “In the past three years alone, Aramco has invested more than $70 million in corrosion management technologies, achieving over $770 million in cost savings and avoidance… AI-powered solutions are now anticipating corrosion before it happens, leveraging a vast network of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors across our facilities and pipelines. These sensors provide more than 10 million corrosion-monitoring readings annually across over 40 facilities… But our ambition does not stop at Aramco’s facilities. We are combining our domain expertise and intellectual property with AI to develop advanced solutions that can benefit the entire energy and industrial community.”

On the potential of AI, Ahmad Al Khowaiter, Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation, said: “Worldwide, across all industries, it is projected that corrosion costs roughly $3 trillion per year, representing about 3% of global GDP. Studies indicate that close to $1 trillion per year in savings can be realized by applying AI and other corrosion control technologies. Behind every dollar lost to corrosion is increased risk. Risk to the safety of our colleagues, risk to the integrity of our environment and risk to the reliability of energy supply which billions of people depend on... AI gives us the power to predict failures before they occur, optimize maintenance schedules and extend the productive life of critical assets... We believe that with the right technology, the right talent and the right partnerships, we can transform our industry and set new global standards for this new AI age.” -OGN/TradeArabia News Service