When the good news came that the energy and industry sectors had been brought together under one leadership and management umbrella — not a merger of two entities — those in the know said: This is light upon light!

These observers, who understand the trajectory of public administration, have recently come to favor neither mergers nor separations, because these are (theoretically excellent and flashy, and a merger of industry and energy was attempted before but not exploited / look into the management). Generally, a merger is often a complex process influenced by human nature: some prefer to retain their powers, departments, employees, relationships, and interests that the position grants them within the apparatus, which makes them resist a merger or separation until the last breath. Conversely, others jump for joy and hand over everything. So, whoever hesitates is fully justified. Thus convictions evolve.

Overall, what is happening in the public sector in terms of reform, development, merger, separation, or abolition of government entities has the constant goal in governance literature of the supreme interest of the Saudi people. This is the essence of (good governance), which is the spirit of the Vision now. It does not matter where opinions and interpretations go regarding mergers, separations, or abolitions!

From this perspective, we see that unifying the leadership or administrative hierarchy under the (energy and industry system) to be within the responsibilities and tasks of Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman is a positive decision for the public interest, supported by many objective technical justifications given the strong organic relationship between the two sectors. From our experience in economic journalism over the past three decades, we were always in a sphere of technical and administrative tension between the two systems' leaders, and our role was often to remain neutral and committed to the country's supreme interest. Objective neutrality is necessary because each side has its technical justifications, especially in a country that is (growing) and facing major challenges, with its ultimate goal of spreading development in all areas — in rural areas, villages, mountaintops, sand dunes, and urban centers.

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Among our country's ongoing challenges: achieving harmony between energy and industry. The latter cannot stand and thrive without stable energy supply and supportive prices, which are the country's competitive advantage. In contrast, energy is a rare commodity and a (blessing) requiring high efficiency in all its affairs. In public and private discussions, the main issue raised was: (Who bears the cost of support?) And where is it transferred: to the investor, the consumer, or the public treasury? Each advocate for these parties has their justifications.

But the cost to the country's overall economy, the disruption of its projects, and the delay of its interests — sometimes we see no one defending it; this was the major worrying area of pain until God brings someone to address it and take the reins for decisive treatment.

This is what we see after Prince Abdulaziz was assigned this task. We sincerely pray that God grants success and guidance to our country's leadership and the leaders of the two systems. The success will extend and affect future generations. Now we are all reaping the fruits sown by the leaders of energy and industry fifty years ago. It is a marathon of achievement whose flame never extinguishes. This is what we aspire to: the transformation and leadership in the energy sector — which is the future and prosperity of our country and its generations for the next 100 years — are strongly linked to the existence of an advanced industrial sector and optimal investment of our natural wealth.

We return to our topic: the unification of the (administrative hierarchy). This places before us the concerns of energy and the files of industry, including:

The first concern is the availability of (feedstock), which is the basic need of the transformative industry of the future, directly linked to the energy sector. What is required here is a balance between investing every part of fossil energy while stimulating local industries to enhance their global competitiveness. The Saudi government has supported this sector since the launch of the petrochemical industry. What we need is high-precision governance of this matter (hence the importance of the leadership hierarchy in the two systems), as it is capable of settling the position while ensuring the interest of both sectors and providing each with the opportunity to innovate the best solutions and achieve results.

The second concern is (energy security), a concept established by Prince Abdulaziz, in which the two systems integrate because energy security is not just ensuring its flow but integrating all its components — logistically, industrially, and innovatively. Energy security, for example, is achieved through components with all their branches and diversity, their manufacturing and localization, and leading in them. This is largely linked to an advanced industrial system that prioritizes serving the energy sector.

The third concern is the new (energy transition) represented by renewable energy, energy storage, and energy transport with all its stations, components, and others.

The fourth concern is the connection of all components of the energy sector to mineral wealth, of which the Kingdom has large reserves. This requires optimal employment and meeting local demand that supports the Kingdom's leadership and builds bridges toward leadership in all forms of energy.

The fifth concern relates to energy efficiency. Prince Abdulaziz will strongly transfer the experience of energy efficiency to the industrial sector, which is the largest consumer of all types of energy, especially with the directions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The sixth concern, or our greatest national concern, is the (topic of human resources empowerment in the national industrial system). This file is full of questions, wishes, and some regrets. After half a century of supporting the industrial system: What have we achieved in this file? How many Saudis have been employed? Why are indicators low? Why is industry intensive on cheap labor? Why are our advanced factories turning into training centers for workers until they qualify to emigrate to Europe and America?

The seventh concern is the file of (research, development and innovation). Here, it must be acknowledged that the Kingdom has achieved positive steps in the industrial research and innovation system by integrating advanced technical solutions into production reality. This requires another extended pause.

Added to these are major national aspirations whose achievement may go beyond the two systems. The industrial excellence we aspire to from the integration of energy and industry is the (localization of artificial intelligence in factories). In this context, we might benefit from the Chinese experience in integrating AI with industry, which is a unique model based on phased strategic planning that began with a regulatory framework and then moved to wide application through the 'AI Plus' initiative, which succeeded in building more than 40,000 smart factories and deploying applications in more than 300,000 factories in just a few years. Importantly, this leap was achieved after China adopted massive government support (investment funds worth tens of billions and training vouchers for models where the state bears 80% of the cost).

The coordinated Chinese government mechanism with (high governance) is what enabled China to benefit from AI not only in industry but in many fields. In his speech at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2026 and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance held in Shanghai on July 17, 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented a comprehensive vision focusing on international cooperation and human responsibility. Here, China calls for integrated international collective action after its successful domestic experience.