Opinion Artificial Intelligence AI and blockchain can support UAE carbon credit goals Carbon credits have become a critical instrument in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions
Health Abu Dhabi launches AI tender to predict epidemic threats The Abu Dhabi Public Health Center has launched a tender for an artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to predict epidemic threats. The aim is for the platform to use AI’s ability to process extensive and complex datasets at high speed as a way to analyse both local and international outbreak trends alongside national travel patterns to […]
EXCLUSIVE Artificial Intelligence AI regulations double investment costs, says Mashreq Bank Differing rules surrounding artificial intelligence and the lack of a global regulatory environment is doubling the cost of new investments and complicating business expansion, a leading UAE financial institution has revealed. Amith Rajan, executive vice-president at Mashreq Bank, told AGBI that a “patchwork” AI regulatory landscape has prevented the bank from entering some countries, and […]
Artificial Intelligence Google to fund AI research at Saudi university Kaust Google is providing research grants into artificial intelligence at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust). The $100,000 grants will boost recognised Kaust researchers doing work in multilingual and multimodal machine learning, and the development of large language models. The academic staff will be associated with its new Centre of Excellence on Generative […]
Tech Mubadala-backed GlobalFoundries buys new semiconductor tech Chipmaker GlobalFoundries, backed by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company, has bought the rights to a new technology to boost power in electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and data centres. It bought the gallium nitride (GaN) technology from semiconductor company Tagore Technology for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition includes a team of Tagore engineers with expertise in […]
Telecoms STC approves PIF purchase of telecom company Shareholders of Saudi telecom giant STC have approved plans to create a new telecommunications infrastructure company in which the Public Investment Fund will have a 51 percent stake valued at SAR8.7 billion ($2.3 billion). Under the deal, the STC-owned Telecommunication Towers Co. Limited (Tawal) will become a PIF subsidiary through a merger with Golden Lattice […] July 26, 2024
Video length: 04:47 VIDEO Retail Tech to help UAE’s baqalas hold off larger grocery rivals Baqalas — small convenience stores – represent 81 percent of the UAE’s grocery retail outlets. But they need to adopt technology if they are to maintain their 56 percent market share against competition from supermarkets and hypermarkets. Watch the video to find out more. More videos from AGBI July 25, 2024
Analysis Artificial Intelligence Local talent vital for UAE to achieve AI ambitions The UAE is on a quest to lead the artificial intelligence sector but one of the stumbling blocks it is striving to address is the lack of local professionals coming into the industry. AI is expected to contribute $320 billion to the Mena region’s economy by 2030 – $96 billion of which will be attributed […] July 24, 2024
Analysis Gaming Investment yet to turn a profit in Saudi esports drive Saudi Arabia’s aggressive entry into esports, marked by the $60 million Esports World Cup and the successful bid to host the 2025 Olympic Esports Games, has grabbed global headlines. Yet a multitude of challenges to the commercialisation of esports could blunt the kingdom’s ambitions to become a global force within this thriving new industry. The […] July 23, 2024
Media & Advertising Du quarterly profit jumps 46% as subscribers rise Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), which operates the Du and Virgin mobile brands in the UAE, reported a 46 percent jump year on year in net profit to AED581 million ($158 million) as subscriber numbers increased. Revenue grew 7 percent to AED3.6 billion in the April to June period, compared to AED3.3 billion a year […] July 23, 2024
Transport Autonomous vehicles pass test in UAE Self-driving vehicles are to be rolled out across the UAE following successful trials in Dubai South. Evocargo, which is headquartered in Dubai, ran the tests and is confident that autonomous vehicles will be available within Dubai South in the first quarter of next year. The company then plans to expand into neighbouring Ras Al Khaimah […] July 18, 2024
Tourism Near-space balloon flights to start from Abu Dhabi next year European space exploration company Eos-X Space will begin operating balloon flights to the edge of space from Abu Dhabi in the third quarter of 2025, as it aims to gain a bigger stake in the $9 billion space tourism industry. The UAE capital will host the launch facility and spaceport, including a hotel complex on […] July 17, 2024
Real Estate Omani fund targets commercial assets after IPO Jabal Real Estate Investment Fund has targeted a swathe of commercial assets in Oman after officially listing on the Muscat Stock Exchange. The company, which has a capital portfolio of OR17 million ($45 million), is considering an office building and a warehousing complex in the sultanate. No further details were given, although both properties boast […] July 11, 2024
Artificial Intelligence Saudi companies form AI cloud services partnership The Saudi IT company Al Moammar Information Systems, an investor in the US artificial intelligence (AI) research company OpenAI, has formed a partnership with the investment banker Saudi Fransi Capital to look into launching cloud services for the kingdom’s AI market. Al Moammar will “recommend an optimal business model considering demand, regulations, and technology, assess […] July 8, 2024
Infrastructure Saudi telco STC ends talks to buy Altice Portugal Saudi telecom group STC has ended talks with French-Israeli tycoon Patrick Drahi to buy Altice Portugal after a disagreement over the price. The Public Investment Fund-owned company, which is listed on the Saudi stock market, had offered 8 billion euros ($8.67 billion) for Altice Portugal, the European country’s largest telecommunications player, Portuguese online business site […] July 8, 2024
Finance Hong Kong’s Animoca considers Gulf bourses Animoca Brands, a major Web3 and crypto gaming company valued at nearly $6 billion, is considering a public listing in 2025, with the Gulf and Hong Kong as potential venues. The company’s investors include heavyweights such as Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and the Saudi Arabia government’s Neom project, which injected $50 million into it last year. […] July 5, 2024
Opinion Tech A GCC spaceport could bring galactic gains It would support the development of the space economy in its multiple dimensions July 4, 2024
Tech UAE telco e& loses appeal in Moroccan antitrust case UAE telco e& (formerly Etisalat) has lost its appeal against an anti-competitive practices compensation payment in a Moroccan court. Maroc Telecom, which is 53 percent owned by e&, is now required to pay AED2.3 billion ($626 million) to Casablanca’s Wana Corporate (Inwi). It was first ordered to pay the compensation by the Commercial Court of […] July 4, 2024
Finance Indian crypto exchange buys UAE’s BitOasis CoinDCX, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in India, has bought UAE-based crypto exchange BitOasis for an undisclosed amount. CoinDCX co-founder Sumit Gupta said the move would “establish an even more formidable foothold across the Mena region”. The Middle East-focused BitOasis, founded in 2016 by Ola Doudin, Tarek Kaylani and Daniel Robenek, has processed more than $6 […] July 3, 2024
Analysis Manufacturing Water shortage and talent hole hinder Gulf chips ambition Plans by the UAE and Saudi Arabia to become centres of computer chip manufacturing are threatened by everything from shortages of engineering talent to a lack of water, experts have warned. The ambitions of the two countries will fail unless they invest in training and form partnerships, they say. The demand for high-end semiconductors, otherwise […] July 2, 2024
Economy Saudi PIF is top global investor in first half of 2024 Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was the highest-spending state-owned investor in the first half of 2024, while three Abu Dhabi institutions were also in the top five. The PIF owns stakes in various domestic companies including Saudi Aramco, Saudi Telecom Co and Saudi National Bank and is spearheading the kingdom’s giga-project development programme. It invested […] July 2, 2024
Tech Yahsat taps Musk’s SpaceX for next satellite launches The UAE’s satellite provider Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) has chosen Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to launch its next-generation geostationary satellites, Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5. The two communications satellites are due to be launched into orbit in 2027 and 2028 respectively. Under the deal – part of an AED3.9 billion ($1.1 […] July 1, 2024
Finance UAE introduces regulations to clean up crypto market The UAE has taken steps towards regulating its payments sector with the introduction of Payment Token Services Regulation in an attempt to push out fraudulent crypto companies and attract legitimate businesses. The new regulations introduced by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) focus heavily on stablecoins – digital currencies pegged to a real-world asset […] June 28, 2024
Artificial Intelligence Riyadh IT company wins $10m project with Saudi AI authority Al Moammar Information Systems, a Riyadh-based technology company, has secured a SAR39 million ($10 million) project with the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA). Al Moammar, a listed company formed in 1996, invested $5 million in the giant American artificial intelligence research company OpenAI earlier this year. OpenAI is known for its large language AI […] June 27, 2024
Finance UAE’s e& buys Turkish cloud provider GlassHouse The UAE telecom operator e&, formerly Emirates Telecommunications Group company and Etisalat, has acquired the Turkish cloud services provider GlassHouse through its wholly owned subsidiary e& enterprise. A binding agreement has been signed between e& enterprise and Mediterra Capital, a private equity firm that provides investments in Turkey, to take over 100 percent of GlassHouse […] June 26, 2024
