Artificial Intelligence Middle East wary of US AI chip export rules The US government’s proposed new rule to control global access to its artificial intelligence chips has ignited widespread debate, and has implications for the Middle East’s AI ecosystem. The “Export Control Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion” would restrict exports of US-made AI chips in the hopes of curbing China’s military advancements using the technology. However, […] January 9, 2025
Economy Tech companies fuel spike in Saudi business registrations Commercial business registrations in Saudi Arabia increased by more than two-thirds in the fourth quarter of 2024, led by a proliferation of technology-based companies setting up in the kingdom. Over 160,000 new records were issued throughout the three-month period, taking the number of active commercial registrations in the country to more than 1.6 million, according […] January 9, 2025
Tech Trump reveals $20bn from Sajwani for US data centres Incoming US president Donald Trump and Hussain Sajwani, the billionaire chairman of Damac Properties, announced on Tuesday that the emirati will invest “at least” $20 billion in data centres across the US. The move represents the official entry of EDGNEX, Damac’s specialised subsidiary, into the American market as demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence […] January 8, 2025
Tech Saudi Aramco leads $30m investment in tech startup Wa’ed Ventures, the $500 million venture capital fund owned by Saudi Aramco, and Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo have invested in Zension Technologies, a consumer electronics startup. Wa’ed led the funding raise of $30 million, which also included Dubai-based Global Ventures. Based in Riyadh, Zension provides consumers with access to the latest tech devices. Instead of purchasing devices […] January 7, 2025
Real Estate Saudis sold on online home sales, says developer Roshn Saudi developer Roshn, a unit of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), said half of its home sales are now made online, marking a significant shift in the kingdom’s property market. Buyers on Roshn’s platform can verify their identity using national digital IDs, sign contracts electronically and make payments online, streamlining a process that traditionally required […] January 7, 2025
Opinion Banking & Finance The rise of AI and the fall of cash: 5 banking trends for 2025 Customers are becoming more demanding, tech is evolving and neobanks are disrupting the status quo January 6, 2025
Finance UAE’s Phoenix Group opens US crypto mining facility Phoenix Group, an Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange-listed company and one of the world’s leading bitcoin miners, has launched its 50 megawatt (MW) cryptocurrency mining facility in North Dakota, US. The opening of the site is part of the company’s bid to expand its capabilities and investments in the US. The company said that the facility, […] January 6, 2025
Video length: 04:13 VIDEO Tech Gulf sovereign wealth funds tilt towards emerging markets In the past 12 months Gulf sovereign wealth funds invested almost $10 billion in China, the largest such volume in history, Diego Lopez, Singapore-based managing director of Global SWF tells AGBI. This reflected a growing bias among Gulf funds towards emerging markets and domestic economies. “Every time [investment managers] are coming across a good opportunity […] January 6, 2025
Analysis Artificial Intelligence UAE’s AI rules ‘prioritise innovation but run risk of gaps’ The UAE’s emphasis on fostering innovation and economic growth has made it an attractive destination for artifical intelligence (AI) investment but could risk leaving gaps in accountability and oversight of personal information, according to industry experts. The challenge “is to balance innovation with safety in a world where AI is already out of the bottle […] January 6, 2025
Manufacturing GlobalFoundries and IBM settle rival lawsuits GlobalFoundries, the chipmaker majority owned by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala, and IBM said on Thursday they had settled their duelling lawsuits. GlobalFoundries was accused of breaching a contract with IBM, and the computer company was alleged to have misused the chipmaker’s trade secrets. The companies said in a joint statement that the terms […] January 3, 2025
Food & Drink Foodtech startup Calo plans IPO after $25m funding round Saudi food technology startup Calo is planning to list on the country’s stock exchange following a raise of SAR94 million ($25 million) in its Series B funding round. Based in Riyadh, Calo specialises in personalised meal subscriptions and also has a bricks-and-mortar offering. It is embarking on an accelerated expansion phase, increasing its physical locations […] January 2, 2025
Analysis Tech China-US tech tensions threaten GCC telecom strategy Gulf countries risk being dragged into the great power “rivalry” between China and the United States when it comes to advanced technology, forcing them to pick a side. As high-tech restrictions are rolled out by Beijing and Washington, the days of buying state-of-the-art semiconductors from the US while installing China’s 5G networks might be over, […] January 2, 2025
Opinion Energy DP World, energy and AI: five predictions for 2025 Let the guessing game begin – but no promises... December 27, 2024
Real Estate Dubai targets broader real-estate access with tokens Dubai plans to widen access to the real-estate sector by allowing tokenisation, which converts real-estate assets into digital tokens on a blockchain. This will enable the fractional ownership of properties, which in theory will attract more retail and institutional investors, a senior official in the emirate’s real estate regulator has said. Fractional ownership allows investors […] December 25, 2024
Video length: 04:08 VIDEO Tech Vero Labs taps into the fan-based asset economy Vero Labs, the social networking company owned by the Lebanese billionaire Ayman Hariri, has partnered with the blockchain platform Avalanche to tap into the multi-trillion-dollar fan-based asset economy sector of the sports and entertainment industry. Last year Vero Labs acquired Tokenise Stock Exchange, a regulated global marketplace where users can buy, sell and trade fan-based […] December 24, 2024
Artificial Intelligence Dubai’s Hodler in global AI data centre partnership Dubai’s Hodler Investments has partnered with US technology company Vertical Data to launch “sustainable” artificial intelligence data centres in the UAE, the Gulf, Africa and Canada. The companies said they are targeting rising demand for high-performance computing. Growing interest in AI applications has strained existing data centre capacity and fuelled intense demand for energy to […] December 24, 2024
Artificial Intelligence Regional investors rush to Musk’s $6bn xAI funding round Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence venture xAI has attracted funding from regional investors including Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding, the Qatar Investment Authority and the Oman Investment Authority. The latest Series C funding round for xAI has closed after raising $6 billion from backers such as BlackRock, Fidelity, Sequoia Capital and Valor Equity Partners, as well as […] December 24, 2024
Tech Turkey space race gains pace with Somalia launch facility Turkey is building a rocket-launching facility in Somalia, boosting its ambition to join the global space race. The project is expected to generate jobs and revenue, Bloomberg reported, citing Somalia president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. “I personally believe that the importance of Somalia hosting a launchpad for Turkish satellites is even more significant than the billions […] December 19, 2024
Analysis Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT’s search expansion raises concerns for businesses OpenAI’s decision to roll out its ChatGPT search to all users could indicate a shift in how people access information online and pose challenges for Gulf businesses when it comes to issues such as online advertising, data privacy and revenue models. The feature, introduced to premium subscribers two months ago, allows users to receive real-time […] December 19, 2024
Artificial Intelligence Oman buys stake in Elon Musk’s AI company The Oman Investment Authority (OIA), the sultanate’s sovereign wealth fund, has acquired a stake in xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. The deal was announced on Wednesday by the Omani state news agency but the size of the investment was not disclosed. Musk, who is worth around $486 […] December 18, 2024
Analysis Retail UAE retailers face rising costs as shoppers demand more Rising costs for UAE retailers risk hitting marketing budgets in 2025 – even though consumers are spending more cash. Increases in raw material costs and supply chain delays are tightening the margins for companies, experts have pointed out. Still, a sharp increase in the use of artificial intelligence in the retail industry next year is […] December 18, 2024
Banking & Finance UAE tech refurb startup raises $7m from investors A UAE company that specialises in refurbishing electronics is targeting new markets after raising $7 million in Series A funding. Revibe, which offers refurbished laptops, smartphones and other devices, has now closed its funding round, which was co-led by the French tech venture capital companies ISAI and Resonance. Also included in the round were the […] December 17, 2024
