Tehran – The Information Technology Organization of Iran has launched efforts to address the country’s energy imbalance using artificial intelligence, with six large-scale AI projects designed to support the initiative, according to an IT and AI expert.

Speaking at a specialized AI forum held at Iran’s Space Research Institute on Saturday, Mirali Seyedi, a technology expert, announced that six AI-powered megaprojects have been designed to help resolve Iran’s chronic energy supply and demand imbalance. He called for participation from knowledge-based companies to assist in the implementation of these projects.

“In the competition between infrastructures, we must stay at the cutting edge of technology,” Seyedi said, noting that Iran currently ranks 161st globally in terms of access to technology. “While we have a strong workforce in the communications and infrastructure sectors, our online services remain underdeveloped.”

He added that poor performance in indices such as trade and transit further reflects Iran’s lag in digital services. Seyedi cited global success stories in ecosystem-based digital governance as a model Iran is now pursuing.

The expert criticized the country’s siloed approach among ministries and agencies, which he said has contributed to Iran’s poor performance in communication technology access. “The Ministry of ICT is now actively promoting an ecosystem-based approach. Such ecosystems foster interagency collaboration and interaction, and in the coming years, our focus should shift from isolated systems to integrated ecosystems,” he said.

Seyedi emphasized that building these ecosystems requires three core components: individuals, businesses, and geospatial data. While national ID systems have addressed the individual aspect, information on businesses and land use remains incomplete.

He highlighted the energy ecosystem as a key area where digital transformation can yield tangible results, estimating that smart technologies could address between 15 to 25 percent of the country’s energy imbalance.

“Artificial intelligence can offer short-term solutions to the energy crisis,” Seyedi stressed. “Six AI megaprojects have been proposed, and we are calling on all knowledge-based firms to contribute. One of the projects involves energy management, using algorithms to identify and reduce excessive energy consumption in industrial sectors.”

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