Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy, inaugurated the Dubai AI Campus cluster at the Innovation Hub, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
The move is part of phase one of the annual Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence (DUB.AI), which was recently launched with the aim of accelerating AI adoption across all relevant sectors, thus creating the optimal nurturing ecosystem for AI businesses and talents to drive innovation in AI.
Sheikh Hamdan said that Dubai continues to launch strategic plans with the aim of accelerating the adoption of AI and its applications in all sectors, in line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to establish Dubai as a global hub of the digital economy and the preferred destination for major AI businesses and top talent from around the world.
“Our efforts continue to harness the huge potential of advanced technology. The Dubai AI Campus at DIFC is a key step towards achieving our goals of doubling economic growth and increasing AI’s contribution to Dubai and the UAE’s GDP. We are confident this campus will be a key addition to Dubai’s economy by hosting hundreds of businesses and offering thousands of jobs over the next few years, further cementing Dubai’s standing as a favourite destination for tech companies,” he said.
“We prioritise Dubai’s competitiveness and leading position as a hub for the digital economy in all projects and programmes we launch, in line with goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33). Today we move steadily towards a new era of leadership and sustainable growth of Dubai’s economy, which is based on knowledge, innovation, and future tech applications. Dubai will always remain a beacon of economic prosperity, regionally and globally, and the preferred choice of innovative minds,” he added.
Region’s top AI destination
Announced in 2023, the Dubai AI Campus is the largest dedicated cluster of AI and advanced tech in the MENA region.
The launch contributes to boosting the objectives of D33, including generating an average AED100 billion annually for Dubai’s economy through digital transformation.
The new campus also aligns with Dubai’s vision to emerge as the chosen destination among tech businesses and will drive its contribution to innovation and tech integration across all sectors. AI is likely to contribute $230 billion to the Middle East’s economy by 2030, while making up 14 percent of the UAE’s GDP by 2030.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; Essa Kazim, Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre; and Arif Amiri, CEO of the DIFC Authority.
Phase 1 complete
The Dubai AI Campus cluster will be part of the DIFC Innovation Hub, which offers dedicated co-working spaces to tech startups, including AI businesses. Phase one of the campus is already complete with more than 75 businesses registered on a 10,000-square-foot campus. Phase two of the campus will extend over 100,000 square feet and will attract over 500 companies creating more than 3,000 jobs by 2028.
“The opening of Dubai AI Campus is part of the first phase of the annual Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence (DUB.AI), acting as a key enabler that will bolster Dubai’s position as a global hub accelerating the adoption of advanced technology,” Essa Kazim said.
“Through Dubai and DIFC’s innovative structure, startups have direct access to investors, investment funds, major corporations and traditional financial institutions. This ensures that high-potential businesses receive the necessary funding needed to achieve their goals,” he added.
“Dubai AI Campus helps accelerate the objectives of DIFC’s 2030 Strategy, which aims to further empower our growing fintech and innovation ecosystem,” Arif Amiri said.
“The cluster will also cement DIFC’s position as the largest incubator of the financial sector across the MEASA region as we look forward to collaborating with regional players to help them simplify and expand their business through AI,” he added.
Tech partnerships
The Dubai AI Campus facilitates multinational tech partnerships with leading tech companies such as Amazon Web Services, HP, Microsoft, Oracle and Nvidia, who will join the cluster as key partners, further highlighting its empowering nature and making it home to the first innovation lab offering AI solutions to the UAE’s small businesses, in collaboration with du.
Additionally, the cluster will provide high computing capabilities, including DGX platforms, and state-of-the-art business accelerator programmes that advance implementation of AI applications in the private sector.
Unique licences
The Dubai AI Campus will be offering a unique AI licence specially designed to meet the requirements of the next generation of AI-dependent businesses. This licence utilises DIFC’s independent legal framework.
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