Speaking at the opening ceremony of the third Iran Petrochem International Conference and Exhibition, Hossein Afshin underscored the urgency of digital transformation across the petrochemical value chain, noting that decision-making quality—not nominal capacity—will determine the industry’s trajectory. He described core process units such as distillation towers as “decision-making hubs,” where inaccurate settings or delayed actions can quickly translate into higher costs, quality losses, or operational risks.
Afshin said Iran’s petrochemical sector has access to feedstock, infrastructure, skilled human capital and decades of experience, but emphasized that real-time, data-driven and predictive decisions are now decisive. “What matters today is the quality of decisions made in the moment,” he said, adding that artificial intelligence enables industries to anticipate events, understand process behavior before failures occur, reduce downtime, optimize energy use, enhance safety and manage risk proactively rather than reactively.
He stressed that digital transformation and AI have evolved beyond technology tools to become components of industrial governance. Industrial data, he said, is the new feedstock of modern industry, and without intelligent analytics it remains a stockpile of unused information. Algorithms, Afshin added, now serve as the “brain” of industrial systems, supporting faster, more accurate managerial decisions.
The vice president noted that the government views digital platforms not only as technological solutions but as drivers of national productivity, connecting control rooms to supply chains, maintenance systems, sales and exports through integrated management frameworks.
Afshin warned that artificial intelligence cannot deliver value without access to real industrial data, just as industry will face rising hidden costs if it remains disconnected from intelligent systems. Citing regional leaders such as Saudi Aramco and SABIC, he said global competitors have long recognized that future advantage lies in decision quality rather than production volume, and have reengineered their value chains through digital investment to improve energy efficiency, safety and carbon management.
He added that the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC) is well positioned to act not only as the country’s largest producer but also as a standard-setter for the sector’s future, noting that the group’s corporate venture capital fund was established to invest in technologies with direct industrial impact.
According to Afshin, targeted investment in industrial AI, process data analytics and predictive systems would deliver more than financial returns, strengthening operational resilience, reducing risk and enhancing the regional standing of Iran’s petrochemical industry.
He also highlighted Kish Island’s potential role in this transformation, describing it as a natural hub for data aggregation, analysis and decision feedback to industry, citing its execution speed, access to capital, proximity to southern industrial zones and capacity for new computing infrastructure. Afshin said the government has designed a roadmap to establish Kish as a regional center for petrochemical artificial intelligence, in cooperation with industry stakeholders.
Emphasizing the importance of academia, Afshin said sustainable progress depends on close industry–university collaboration, noting that global experience shows industrial AI emerges from laboratories with active industrial participation and real data. He pointed to ongoing plans to develop AI laboratories at Sharif University of Technology, the University of Tehran and Iran University of Science and Technology to translate research into rapid, precise industrial decisions.
Concluding his remarks, Afshin said the future of Iran’s petrochemical industry will be shaped not by increased feedstock supply but by the quality of decisions enabled through artificial intelligence, adding that in an industry where seconds matter, being smart is no longer a choice but a prerequisite for survival.