The multi-year initiative aims to position Saudi Arabia as a centre for digital innovation, building on Cisco’s 25-year presence in the Kingdom
Technology
Dubai World Islands
Dubai World Islands: e& to power high-speed internet, drone services and AI to Heart of Europe hotels
E& and Kleindienst Group team up to provide digital hospitality on Dubai World Islands
Connectivity
UAE’s Orbitworks unveils AI-powered Altair satellite fleet to boost sovereign space capabilities
Orbitworks revealed plans to manufacture its Altair satellite fleet in the UAE
First Abu Dhabi Bank
FAB becomes first MENA bank to launch Oracle-Mastercard embedded finance solution
The collaboration combines the strengths of the two industry leaders to revolutionise B2B finance and payments processes
Connectivity
UAE’s Space42 opens Middle East’s first high altitude platform stations factory
The HAPS facility is part of Space42’s broader investments in vertically integrated manufacturing and data infrastructure
AI Everything
What to expect from UAE delegation at GITEX EUROPE this week
Dubai brings 12 government and private entities to the inaugural European edition of the global tech exhibition, taking place May 21-23 at Messe Berlin
Artificial intelligence
UAE sees sharp rise in AI-assisted shopping with 70% adoption rate: Report
UAE retailers are responding to this trend, with 41% planning to invest in AI to support sales and marketing efforts over the next 12 months
Cybersecurity
UAE announces drone cybersecurity guidelines
UAE Cybersecurity Council develops guidelines for drone usage in the country
National Olympic Committee
UAE Ministry of Sports launches AI platform ‘Sportifai’ for national sports governance
Sportifai was first introduced in March 2025 through a cooperation agreement between the Ministry and the UAE National Olympic Committee
abu dhabi start-ups
Google and Hub71 to support AI startups in Abu Dhabi
AI startups in Abu Dhabi look to possible $300,000 funding boost from Hub71 and Google collaboration
Artificial intelligence
Sharjah’s economic department introduces AI trade name service, cutting processing time by 98%
Sharjah Economic Development Department uses AI to automate trade name issuance, enhance efficiency, and support entrepreneurship and digital transformation
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Elon Musk’s Neuralink launches first international clinical trial in Abu Dhabi
The trial will be conducted at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in partnership with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Space42 focused on building for future growth with its Four Pillars
Abu Dhabi-based SpaceTech company reveals its strategy for growth after muted Q1 result in which revenue fell 13% to $115mn
Aramex
Aramex expands Sprinklr partnership for AI-powered customer experience globally
The two are partnering to revolutionise digital customer experience for Aramex customers across more than 65 countries
AI infrastructure
Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN and AWS forge $5bn-plus AI Zone partnership
AWS and HUMAIN will launch a high-performance AI Zone to scale Arabic LLMs, genAI use cases, and startup innovation
AI infrastructure
UAE’s G42, Cisco partner to accelerate global AI infrastructure development
The collaboration aims to enhance AI infrastructure, secure data centres, and support the UAE’s ambition to lead in responsible AI development
communications industry
Saudi communication and tech sector hit $48bn last year; most popular internet times and days revealed
Saudi Arabia’s growing tech sector value and key Internet statistics revealed