Analysis Tech Humanoid robots: coming soon to a workplace near you Nursing, tourism and leisure, even performing arts, and anything dull, dangerous and dirty: the technology world is increasingly bullish on what humanoid robots can do. Humanoid robots are already greeting visitors at Dubai’s Museum of the Future and patrolling the emirate’s beaches, handing out fines and monitoring the use of scooters and bicycles. Jensen Huang, […] June 12, 2025
Artificial Intelligence OpenAI holds talks to raise money from PIF ChatGPT maker OpenAI has talked to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), India’s Reliance Industries and existing shareholder MGX of the UAE about its $40 billion financing, The Information reported on Wednesday. The investors could put in at least hundreds of millions of dollars each, the report said, citing people familiar with the issue. OpenAI […] June 12, 2025
Tech Gulf investors help finance growth of Turkish data centres Turkey’s data centre sector is riding a wave of new investment that is likely to support expansion in the country’s digital economy, with much of the funding coming from the Arabian Gulf. Last month, Turkish e-commerce platform Trendyol announced it was partnering with the UAE’s Castle Investments, headed by Gulf Data Hub founder Tarek Al […] June 10, 2025
Analysis Tech UAE investment in data centres may be overly optimistic Billions of dollars of planned Gulf investment in data centres, announced with fanfare during President Donald Trump’s regional May visit, may be at more risk than immediately meets the eye, according to US financial services company Moody’s Corp. After the headlines, projects like the 10 square-mile artificial intelligence Stargate campus planned for Abu Dhabi are […] June 8, 2025
Artificial Intelligence GlobalFoundries commits $3bn to microchip research GlobalFoundries, the Mubadala-backed chip manufacturer, said on Wednesday it will significantly hike research spending in the US over the next few years due to “explosive” demand for artificial intelligence and the advanced semiconductors that power it. The multi-billion-dollar investment comes as the New York state-based company works with the White House and various technology peers to […] June 5, 2025
Tech Taiwanese chipmaker denies plans for Middle East factory Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has no plans to establish a factory in the Middle East, CEO CC Wei has said. Bloomberg reported that the Taiwanese company had held multiple meetings with Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, and executives from Abu Dhabi’s MGX, regarding the opening of a plant in the […] June 4, 2025
Video length: 04:09 VIDEO Telecoms Veon boss reveals why the telco swapped Europe for Dubai Telecom and digital services company Veon delisted from the Amsterdam stock market last year and moved its operations to Dubai, becoming the largest Nasdaq-listed company with headquarters in the UAE. AGBI spoke to the company’s CEO, Kaan Terzioglu, about its plans to dual-list in Dubai within the next three to five years. “I am bullish […] June 2, 2025
Artificial Intelligence ‘Wins for America’: Nvidia chief hails Gulf deals Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang used a first-quarter earnings call on Wednesday to highlight artificial intelligence infrastructure deals in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, describing them as major US victories at a time when export controls have dented the company’s Chinese sales. Ahead of Nvidia’s Q1 call, the Financial Times reported that Trump had ordered US […] May 30, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Humain to bankroll AI startups with $10bn fund Humain, Saudi Arabia’s state-backed artificial intelligence company, plans to launch a venture capital fund to support the country’s goal of becoming an AI superpower. The Humain Ventures fund will be set up this summer with $10 billion to invest in startups across the US, Europe and Asia, Tareq Amin, CEO of Humain, told the Financial […] May 29, 2025
Oil & Gas UAE warns Opec over AI-driven power demand The UAE is preparing for a sharp spike in domestic energy consumption as a wave of data centre construction drives up demand for power. Energy minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei has warned Opec and its oil-producing allies of potential pressure on future global supplies. His warning is at odds with other industry bodies, such as […] May 27, 2025
Transport Neom-backed Pony.ai to launch robotaxis in Dubai Pony.ai, a Chinese autonomous driving company, will begin trials of its advanced robotaxi fleet in Dubai this year, the company said in a statement. The US Nasdaq stock exchange-listed company, which is backed by an investment arm of Saudi giga-project Neom, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to introduce autonomous transport. […] May 27, 2025
Analysis Artificial Intelligence AI adoption could help meet ambitious Vision 2030 targets Construction companies in Saudi Arabia are increasingly looking to artificial intelligence to reduce waste and speed up delivery times, industry experts say. AI software is already in use in the country to help speed up the design and development of billions of dollars in projects. But increased adoption of cutting-edge technology is needed to meet […] May 26, 2025
Tech Qatar-backed Builder.ai collapses with sales in doubt A British technology startup funded by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has collapsed after an internal investigation identified potentially bogus sales. In 2023 the QIA sovereign wealth fund led a $250 million late-stage funding round for Builder.ai and, together with Microsoft, was one of its biggest investors. The company raised more than $450 million over its […] May 23, 2025
Tech Stargate UAE data centre to come online in 2026 The first phase of a massive new data centre agreed during Donald Trump’s visit to the UAE will come online in 2026. Stargate UAE is planned to be a 1 gigawatt data centre cluster capable of training AI models. The project is a collaboration between UAE-backed G42, ChatGPT creators OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, Softbank Group and […] May 23, 2025
Oil & Gas Qatar warns low oil price may hurt AI power needs Crude prices falling below $60 a barrel would have a detrimental effect on global oil sector investment, and on fast-growing, energy intensive industries such as data centres and artificial intelligence, Qatar’s energy minister has said. “If oil prices decline below $60, there is definitely going to be a decline in investments,” Saad Al-Kaabi said at an […] May 22, 2025
Analysis Artificial Intelligence Thirsty for data: water scarcity challenges Gulf’s AI ambitions Water scarcity could complicate the Gulf’s ambitious plans to build ever-larger and more powerful data centres, experts say. “Water accessibility can significantly limit data centre capacity, particularly as cooling demands increase with higher density workloads and rising ambient temperatures,” Rasheed Ahmad, technical director at American Water and Environmental Solutions, tells AGBI. Saudi Arabia’s new AI […] May 20, 2025
Opinion Artificial Intelligence The UAE has a mighty backer in AI, but the US gets something too The two countries have laid the foundations for a long-term AI partnership that will benefit them both May 20, 2025
Analysis Finance Qatar’s $526bn wealth fund bets big on technology Qatar Airways captured the headlines this week with its near $100 billion order for Boeing aircraft during US President Donald Trump’s Gulf visit. But behind the scenes the country’s $526 billion sovereign Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is making investments that could prove to be of greater strategic importance to the country, with an increasing focus […] May 19, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Italy and UAE announce deal on AI centre Italy and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to develop an artificial intelligence centre in Italy, industry minister Adolfo Urso said on Friday. Abu Dhabi-based AI group G42 has entered into a partnership with Italian company iGenius to build “the largest AI computing infrastructure in Europe”, Urso’s ministry said in a statement. G42 will be […] May 16, 2025
Artificial Intelligence UAE and US to build largest AI campus outside America The US and UAE will develop a 10 square mile artificial intelligence campus in Abu Dhabi, according to a White House statement on Thursday. It will be the largest such facility outside of America. The announcement came as US President Donald Trump met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Qasr Al […] May 16, 2025
Opinion Artificial Intelligence Riyadh moves to rewire its global role with AI Saudi Arabia aims to translate its hydrocarbon wealth into computational power May 16, 2025
Tech US and UAE agree tech plan as Trump lands in Abu Dhabi US and Emirati officials agreed a framework to enhance exchanges in advanced technology as Donald Trump arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday evening on the third and final leg of his tour of the Gulf. The deal includes commitments from both sides to ensure the shared technology is handled securely, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed […] May 15, 2025
