The UAE and Artificial Intelligence
Half a Trillion Dirhams in Investments.. The UAE as a Global AI Engine
The UAE is rapidly building a comprehensive digital future based on artificial intelligence (AI) as the primary driver of the knowledge economy.
The UAE's vision for AI is part of a long-term strategic vision aimed at achieving sustainable growth, fostering innovation, and solidifying the country's position as a global hub for advanced technology.
The UAE, which has successfully built a diversified, innovation-driven economy in just a few decades, is now moving towards a new phase: a knowledge economy based on data, algorithms, and advanced computing infrastructure. It has become a global model for integrating tradition with modern technologies.
The year 2025 marked a pivotal turning point in the UAE's AI journey. Initiatives are no longer limited to pilot projects or small-scale applications, but have evolved into a comprehensive system encompassing computing infrastructure, smart legislation, human capital development, international partnerships, and massive investments.
Computing Infrastructure
One of the most important pillars of the UAE’s digital transformation is its intensive investment in advanced computing infrastructure. The country has witnessed the establishment of massive supercomputing complexes, among the largest in the world, most notably the UAE-US supercomputing complex in Abu Dhabi with a capacity of up to 5 gigawatts (GW), the largest supercomputing complex outside the United States.
This computing power is fundamental to developing large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) models capable of serving billions of users, in addition to supporting scientific research and advanced industrial applications. The “Stargate UAE” project, with a capacity of 1 GW, was also announced, in partnership with leading global companies in the fields of AI, chips, and cloud computing.
International Partnerships
The UAE recognized early on that AI is a cross-border field, and therefore worked to build a broad network of international partnerships. It launched a cooperation framework with France that includes projects in renewable energy and advanced chips, the establishment of joint research platforms, and an investment in a 1 GW supercomputing complex in France.
Massive Investments
Investments directed towards the artificial intelligence sector in the UAE during 2024 and 2025 exceeded AED 543 billion, a figure that reflects the scale of the national commitment to the digital economy. These investments included massive domestic projects such as Stargate UAE, in addition to AED 180 billion in foreign investments, confirming the country's presence as a global player in the technology market.
Human Capital Development
No digital transformation can succeed without investing in human capital, a fact the UAE recognized early on. The number of programmers in the country has risen to over 450,000, exceeding the previously set target, reflecting the success of national programs in attracting talent and training skilled professionals. The UAE also ranked highly globally in terms of the percentage of people working in the field of artificial intelligence relative to its population.
Developing Language Models
As part of its efforts to enhance digital sovereignty, the UAE has worked on developing advanced Arabic language models, most notably the "Gess2" model, which is one of the largest open-source Arabic language models and was trained on a massive Arabic database. It also launched an advanced linguistic inference model, considered one of the most sophisticated models in the field of language comprehension.
The Cultural and Social Dimension of Digital Transformation
Digital transformation in the UAE has not been limited to economic and technological aspects, but has also encompassed the cultural and social dimensions. Those working in the religious field have been trained to use artificial intelligence tools to improve the quality of religious discourse, reflecting a holistic vision for integrating technology into various aspects of life while preserving cultural identity.
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