The Emirates Intelligencer · Thursday, July 9, 2026

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An Independent Daily Bulletin on Artificial-Intelligence Investment in the United Arab Emirates. Published by otonomi.co

Vol. I., No. 16 Thursday, July 9, 2026 From the Archive

Industrial Capital

UAE Ministers Tie AI Capital Surge to AED 168 Billion Procurement Pipeline

The national industrial platform is turning artificial intelligence from an adoption theme into a procurement, localisation and investment channel for manufacturers and technology suppliers.

By The Otonomi Investment Desk

UAE ministers and industrial leaders used Make it in the Emirates 2026 to frame artificial intelligence as the fastest-rising investment theme in the country's industrial economy, with Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi saying AI is attracting more investment than any other sector in UAE history. He told delegates that data centres alone cost more than ports or airports, putting AI infrastructure into the realm of hundreds of billions of dollars.

The platform links that capital push to industrial procurement. Make it in the Emirates says the national In-Country Value programme has redirected more than AED 473 billion into the UAE economy, while the platform connects companies to more than AED 168 billion in procurement opportunities and supports the localisation of more than 5,000 products.

The adoption signal extended beyond policy. Maitha Al Suwaidi, Chief Strategy Officer at Microsoft, said 64 per cent of the UAE working-age population now uses generative AI tools, while ADNOC Upstream chief executive Musabbeh Al Kaabi said AI has helped cut shutdown times by almost 50 per cent. Tawazun Council's Matar Ali Al Romaithi also described plans for a first-of-its-kind facility to help companies establish local supply chains and position international companies in the region.

Zawya

Sovereign Capital

MGX Closes First AI Fund at $49 Billion

Abu Dhabi technology investment company MGX has closed its first fund at $49 billion, above its initial $45 billion target, after drawing institutional and private investors from the Gulf, North America, Asia and Europe. The firm said the fund was formed to provide exposure to opportunities across semiconductors, AI infrastructure, AI-enabling technologies and platforms.

MGX has invested in 14 companies since inception and has joined a consortium to acquire Aligned Data Centres in a transaction valued at about $40 billion. The fund's close gives Abu Dhabi a dedicated capital vehicle for deployment across the artificial-intelligence stack.

The National

Private-Sector Adoption

Dubai Orders Two-Year Shift Toward Agentic AI in Business

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has launched a two-year programme to move Dubai's private sector toward self-executing and self-leading artificial intelligence. The programme will introduce specialised training tracks for all business councils affiliated with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.

Dubai Chambers has been directed to establish incubators for Agentic AI companies, create new economic opportunities for young people and set up dedicated funds to support the shift. Sheikh Hamdan said the objective is to help companies adopt technologies that raise productivity, expand business volumes and position Dubai as a global leader in commercial AI adoption.

Government of Dubai Media Office

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Further Dispatches

Startup Accelerator

Presight Narrows 376 Applicants to Twelve for Second AI Accelerator Cohort

Presight, the Abu Dhabi based AI and data analytics group, has selected twelve companies from 376 applications spanning 62 countries for the second cohort of its AI Accelerator programme. Selected teams gain access to the wider Presight and G42 ecosystem, along with the prospect of commercial engagements across the group's customer base.

The cohort skews toward applied deployment rather than research: AI safety, inference optimisation, satellite and aerial monitoring, healthcare early warning, smart-city data, fraud detection, and infrastructure inspection all featured among the selected companies' focus areas, pointing to where Abu Dhabi's buyers are currently looking to spend.

Presight

Healthcare & Social Impact

Survey of 52 UAE Organisations Finds Healthcare Leads on AI Use, Lags on Budget

startAD, the venture arm of New York University Abu Dhabi, has published an AI Adoption Barometer surveying 52 UAE organisations, backed by Google.org. Eighty-one per cent of healthcare respondents reported having defined AI use cases, and 58 per cent were already piloting or deploying them. Forty-two per cent, however, said they lacked a dedicated AI budget.

Alongside the survey, startAD released use-case discovery and pilot-evaluation playbooks intended to help organisations move from stated intent to funded projects, a gap the barometer's own numbers suggest is common across the sector.

startAD, Zawya