Trade US might ease chip export curbs on some Gulf nations President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he will soon have an announcement on whether the US will ease microchip export restrictions to some Gulf countries. “We might be doing that, yeah,” Trump said. “And it will be announced soon.” Trump is preparing for his first major diplomatic trip next week that includes a three-country Middle […] May 8, 2025
Analysis Tech Digital failings cost Egypt’s businesses dearly From old-fashioned marketing strategies to so-called “ghost companies” with a completely outdated online presence, Egypt’s private sector is failing to move with the digital times, a new report has found. Four in five Egyptian businesses exhibit characteristics of “digital ghosts,” with ill-designed or inactive websites and underutilised social media, Egyptian data and tech services directory […] May 8, 2025
Video length: 04:32 VIDEO Tech Crypto company Animoca Brands to launch in Dubai Yat Siu, the co-founder of the blockchain and venture capital business Animoca Brands, is at the forefront of the growing digital asset sector. As part of its global expansion, the company is establishing a presence in the Middle East with the launch of its new office in Dubai. It plans to establish dedicated funds for […] May 8, 2025
Telecoms UAE telco Du’s profit up a fifth as subscriber base expands Dubai-listed telecom operator Du’s top and bottom lines rose in the first quarter of 2025, driven by an increase in the subscriber base and the UAE’s economic growth. Revenue grew more than 7 percent year on year to AED4 billion ($1 billion) during the quarter ended March 2025. The mobile customer base increased by 6 […] May 6, 2025
Artificial Intelligence US considers easing of chip export restrictions on UAE The US is considering easing restrictions on the export of high-end semiconductors to the UAE, Bloomberg reported. President Donald Trump could announce the start of work on a bilateral chip deal during his upcoming trip to the Gulf, the news service said, without identifying sources. Nothing has yet been decided but the talks are picking up […] May 2, 2025
Opinion Artificial Intelligence No matter where you are, it pays to be nice to AI Polite and intimate, or businesslike and rude – which approach is best? I asked the expert May 2, 2025
Editor's Insight Tech Gulf enters chip wars Chip War by Chris Miller is an account of the most competitive, most brutal industry in the world – more competitive and brutal than the oil business, which is saying something. Miller reckons that US supremacy in the manufacture and design of semi-conductors was a major contributor to victory in the Cold War. More advanced chips […] May 2, 2025
Tech UAE’s Phoenix expands Ethiopian bitcoin mining Phoenix Group, an Abu Dhabi-listed blockchain and cryptocurrency company, has expanded its bitcoin mining operations in Ethiopia, securing an additional 52 megawatts (MW) of power supply. The latest move brings the company’s total capacity in the African country to 132MW and raises its global capacity to more than 500MW across five countries, it said in […] May 2, 2025
Analysis Tech AI will be front and centre during Trump’s Gulf trip Artificial intelligence is expected to be top of the agenda during US president Donald Trump’s visit to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in mid-May, with officials from all sides eager to announce fresh partnerships. Discussions are likely to focus on securing more GCC investments into US technology and expanding Gulf states’ access […] May 2, 2025
Analysis Artificial Intelligence Focus on investment in AI as Mena lags in research The Gulf and wider Middle East and North Africa region make a woefully small contribution to global artificial intelligence research and academics, but strategic investments could help mitigate some of the risk of dependency on others, industry experts say. The Mena region contributed just 5 percent of all AI-related academic publications and less than 10 […] April 30, 2025
Telecoms Q1 profits and revenue up for Saudi Telecom Company Profits at Saudi Telecom Company (STC) rose in the first quarter of this year, pushing the share price of the kingdom’s biggest telecoms operator to a yearly high. Net profit rose 11 percent year on year to SAR3.6 billion ($973 million) in the first three months of 2025. Revenues for the quarter rose 2 percent […] April 29, 2025
Analysis Markets Market volatility adds allure to utilities and telecoms In a month of wild market swings, Gulf equity investors have felt panic, trepidation, bewilderment and more. With further volatility probable, experts say a prudent strategy is to focus on defensive sectors less exposed to the global economy. Gulf bourses tumbled in early April, along with the US dollar and oil prices, after President Donald […] April 28, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Abu Dhabi AI chief bullish over future investment Investment in artificial intelligence is at “a crossroads” as the build-out of underlying infrastructure, such as data centres, demands trillions of dollars more in capital, according to Abu Dhabi’s technology fund MGX. Ali Osman, MGX’s chief investment officer for AI, said on Friday that he remains optimistic about “tremendous” growth in this space even amid […] April 25, 2025
Telecoms Surge in connected devices spurs Omantel revenue growth Omantel, Oman’s largest telecommunications provider, reported a rise in revenue and profitability last year, helped by a strong surge in “Internet of Things” (IoT) subscriptions Revenue at the state-controlled telco rose 4 percent year on year in 2024 to OR920 million ($2.4 billion), driven by strong performance across its business lines. The company recorded significant […] April 25, 2025
People & Lifestyle Starzplay reports record growth driven by AI Abu Dhabi-backed streaming platform Starzplay said it made record revenue last year, passing $100 million for the first time, supported by “artificial intelligence content discovery.” In 2022, the Abu Dhabi-based ADQ and a unit of federal telecommunications company e& (formerly Etisalat) bought a majority stake in Starzplay for $420 million. Since then revenue at the […] April 24, 2025
Tech UAE’s du and Microsoft to build $544m hyperscale data centre UAE telecom provider du and tech company Microsoft are to build a AED2 billion ($544.54 million) hyperscale data centre. The data centre will be built in stages, gradually increasing capacity to satisfy rising demand, the UAE state-run news agency Wam reported on Tuesday. The facility’s computing capabilities will be utilised by Microsoft, the main tenant, […] April 23, 2025
Tech Turkish startup funding plunges in first quarter Uncertainty in the Turkish economy and government budget cuts are weighing on the country’s startup environment, with venture capital funding for new projects falling in the first quarter to their lowest in more than 18 months. Turkish technology startups attracted $58 million in the three months to March 31, almost 50 percent down on the […] April 23, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Khazna builds data centres to plug UAE capacity shortage State-controlled Khazna, the UAE’s largest data centre operator, has started building two new facilities to support the federation’s digital and artificial intelligence (AI) growth as the Gulf state grapples with a capacity shortage. Originally owned by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala sovereign wealth fund, Khazna was in 2022 transferred to the emirate’s G42 and e&, the national […] April 22, 2025
Finance UAE tech investors seek security in the face of uncertainty UAE tech investors reported a strong start to the year but many are increasingly seeking out more mature companies to back, as global economic uncertainty makes them more risk averse, an industry expert has told AGBI. UAE tech startups raised a total of $872 million in the first quarter, nearly triple the $297 million raised […] April 21, 2025
Tech Amazon partners Mena startup to train Gulf cloud engineers Amazon has partnered with the Middle East and North Africa social impact startup Manara to train thousands of people in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in cloud software skills. Amazon Web Services, a division of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms to individuals, companies and governments on a metered, pay-as-you-go basis, will invest $3.6 […] April 18, 2025
Analysis Artificial Intelligence AI classes to prepare Saudi pupils for the new world Saudi secondary school pupils will soon have classes on artificial intelligence (AI) added to their curriculum. More than 50,000 17 and 18-year-olds will be offered the Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course, a joint initiative between the ministry of education and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority. It is part of an effort by the […] April 18, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Aramco backs Riyadh-based construction AI startup Saudi Aramco’s venture arm has led a $1 million seed funding round for TruBuild, a construction technology startup based in Riyadh that uses artificial intelligence to cut project delays and cost overruns. “With growing scrutiny on giga-project timelines and budgets, there’s a clear urgency to prevent costly delays and rework,” Bisrat Degefa, CEO of TruBuild, […] April 16, 2025
