“AI is predicted to contribute $135.2 billion to the economy by 2030, equating to 12.4% of UAE’s GDP.”
This growth is characterised by an expected annual increase of 20-34% in AI's contribution, underscoring the pivotal role of AI in shaping the future of the Middle East, with a potential impact of up to $320 billion. Behind the growth of AI in the UAE are companies that are working hand in hand with the industry’s most prominent players. Their innovative solutions, strategic partnerships and employment opportunities are laying the groundwork for a brighter, more connected UAE.
The UAE’s Commitment to AI
The UAE's National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 ambitiously aims to position the nation as a global leader in AI by 2031, enhancing economic growth and citizen quality of life through strategic AI integration in critical sectors. This initiative outlines eight strategic objectives:
- Build a reputation as an AI destination
- Increase the UAE's competitive assets in priority sectors through the deployment of AI
- Develop a fertile ecosystem for AI
- Adopt AI across government services to improve lives.
- Attract and train talent for future jobs enabled by AI.
- Bring world-leading research capability to work with target industries.
- Provide the data and supporting infrastructure essential to become a test bed for AI.
- Ensure strong governance and effective regulation.
Top Artificial Intelligence Companies Leading the Race In the UAE
1. G42
Based in Abu Dhabi, G42 specialises in AI, IoT, cloud computing, and advanced technologies across healthcare, government, and other critical sectors. In March 2021, G42’s subsidiary Bayanat began trialling autonomous vehicles on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, deploying five TXAI autonomous vehicles that connected various locations via the Txai app. This initiative enhanced local transportation and tested autonomous technology under challenging climatic conditions, amassing valuable data over 10,000km of piloting.
G42’s Partnerships with the Industry's Biggest Players
In April 2024, Microsoft invested a significant $1.5 billion in G42, reinforcing its commitment to AI and cloud technology innovation. This collaboration aims to integrate G42’s AI applications with Microsoft Azure, enhancing AI solutions for global markets and expanding digital infrastructure in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.
2. Saal.ai
Saal.ai, based in Abu Dhabi, delivers cutting-edge AI solutions across healthcare, finance, and public sectors. The company is dedicated to enhancing efficiency and productivity through artificial intelligence and digital transformation technologies, improving customer satisfaction and boosting sales.
Saal.ai’s AI Solutions
In March 2024, Saal.ai introduced two AI innovations at the World Police Summit in Dubai, designed to enhance law enforcement operations:
DigiXT: DigiXT is a robust platform that integrates Computer Vision and Big Data to augment security surveillance. It collects data from diverse sources, such as cameras, thermal imaging, and geolocation sensors on drones, incorporating face recognition to match identities across government databases.
Multilingual Geni: A real-time speech recognition tool that supports multiple languages, designed to overcome linguistic barriers, enhancing global communication and cooperation among law enforcement agencies.
Partnership Between Emirates Policy Centre and Saal.ai
In January 2024, Saal.ai began a multi-year partnership with the Emirates Policy Centre (EPC), a leading think tank focused on UAE’s foreign relations. Utilising Saal.ai’s DigiXT, the collaboration aims to bolster EPC’s research capabilities and unlock data-driven insights.
3. Builder.ai
Even though Builder.ai is not a Dubai-born company, it has established a significant presence and operations in Dubai with over 100 employees. Builder.ai specialises in providing AI-driven software development solutions, allowing businesses to build tailor-made applications without needing extensive technical knowledge. Builder.ai has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2023, securing the number 3 spot in the “Artificial Intelligence” category.
Builder.ai’s AI Solutions
Builder.ai’s unique AI-powered platform simplifies the software development process, offering cost-effective and efficient solutions. Their presence in Dubai enables local businesses to leverage these advanced technologies, fostering innovation and supporting the UAE’s AI industry.
4. The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) of Abu Dhabi
The TII has recently launched the Falcon 2 Series. This series features the Falcon 2 11B and the groundbreaking Falcon 2 11B VLM, the first AI model with vision-to-language capabilities capable of converting visual inputs into textual outputs.
Superior Performance
The Falcon 2 11B model outperforms Meta’s Llama 3 8B and matches Google’s Gemma 7B, demonstrating its powerful capability in handling complex AI tasks. Designed for scalability, it operates efficiently on a single GPU and is suitable for both personal and industrial applications. With multilingual support for languages including English, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese, the Falcon 2 11B adapts to diverse global needs. The Falcon 2 11B VLM model introduces vision-to-language capabilities, interpreting visual information into text, which proves invaluable across various sectors like healthcare, finance, e-commerce, education, and law.
DMCC Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem
DMCC’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ecosystem is Dubai’s leading hub for AI innovation. DMCC is already home to over 40 AI and robotics businesses. It supports a future in which AI catalyses transformative changes across industries, empowers businesses, and drives sustainable growth. For developers working in DMCC’s AI Ecosystem, this presents a unique opportunity to start their AI companies in Dubai and be at the forefront of a sector shaping the future of technology and redefining the global economic landscape.
DMCC’s AI Centre
Explore the forefront of innovation at Dubai's DMCC AI Centre, situated in the iconic Uptown Tower. This cutting-edge facility boasts modern co-working spaces, state-of-the-art meeting rooms, and a unique AI solution showroom, ensuring easy access to stakeholders, resources, and top industry innovators. It fosters an environment perfect for pioneering AI advancements.
Advancing the UAE's AI Landscape: Uniting Innovators for Growth
As the UAE strides towards becoming a global AI powerhouse by 2031, companies like G42, Saal.ai, and QX Lab AI play crucial roles in this dynamic ecosystem. Their collective efforts, from enhancing computing capabilities to broadening the accessibility of app development and breaking language barriers in AI interaction, reflect the UAE's multifaceted strategy to harness AI. Supported by the visionary infrastructure of the DMCC AI Centre, these companies are pivotal in realising Dubai's ambition to innovate and lead in the AI domain, setting a precedent for technological advancement and economic growth in the region.
