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The Emirates Intelligencer

An Independent Daily Bulletin on Artificial-Intelligence Investment, Adoption and Deployment. Published by otonomi.co

Vol. I., No. 49 Tuesday, August 18, 2026 From the Archive
Sovereign Capital

MGX co-leads $5 billion Databricks funding round

The Abu Dhabi-backed investor's latest artificial intelligence allocation links UAE capital to one of the largest enterprise data and AI platforms in the global market.

By The Otonomi Investment Desk

UAE-based technology investment company MGX jointly led a $5 billion strategic funding round for Databricks alongside Coatue, Blackstone, T Rowe Price and Sixth Street Growth, The National reported. Databricks closed the round at a valuation of $190 billion.

The company said the investment would drive further innovation across its AI platform and support more intelligent, trusted and governed use of enterprise data. Databricks said at least 60 per cent of its clients are Fortune 500 companies and that it had surpassed a $7 billion revenue run rate after more than 80 per cent year-on-year growth in its second quarter.

The round adds another large global allocation to MGX's summer activity. The National also reported that a consortium backed by MGX and BlackRock committed a further $5 billion to expand Aligned Data Centres after completing the acquisition of the data-centre developer.

The National Read original source

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Autonomous Mobility

Space42 and A2Z sign $7 million UAE autonomous mobility deployment

Space42 and South Korea's Autonomous A2Z signed a $7 million commercial agreement to deploy Level 4 mobility solutions in the UAE, Zawya reported. The agreement combines A2Z's autonomous driving technology with Space42's AI, geospatial and connectivity capabilities.

Pilot Robo-Shuttle services using A2Z's ROii, alongside other modified and retrofitted autonomous vehicles, will undergo operational testing and demand assessment before an expected expansion into demand-responsive transport and tourism shuttle operations. The project builds on Space42's TXAI autonomous taxi service, which has travelled more than 600,000 kilometres across 20,000 trips with zero recorded accidents since operations began in 2021.

Zawya Read original source
Market Forecasts

UAE AI market is projected to reach $213.06 billion by 2035

The UAE artificial intelligence market is estimated at $5.50 billion in 2025 and projected to reach about $213.06 billion by 2035, according to a Precedence Research report published on 17 August. The forecast implies a compound annual growth rate of 44.15 per cent from 2026 to 2035.

The report said Dubai held 43 per cent of the UAE market in 2025, while Abu Dhabi held 39 per cent and is projected to overtake Dubai by 2035 with a 42 per cent share. It also cited generative AI as the fastest-growing technology category, with a 50.1 per cent compound annual growth rate.

Precedence Research Read original source
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Further Dispatches
Commerce AI

Salesforce says 62 per cent of UAE businesses are optimising for AI search

Salesforce research found that 62 per cent of UAE businesses have created or optimised content for conversational and question-based search queries, Zawya reported. The company's State of Commerce findings also said 61 per cent improved product content quality and 58 per cent submitted data feeds directly to AI search platforms.

Among UAE organisations with unified customer data, 48 per cent reported better AI and automation outcomes, 47 per cent reported stronger alignment across sales, marketing and commerce, and 43 per cent lifted conversion rates. Mohammed Alkhotani, Salesforce's senior vice president and general manager for the Middle East, said the figures showed execution catching up to the UAE's technology ambition.

Zawya Read original source
Banking AI

First Abu Dhabi Bank convenes enterprise AI forum at DIFC

First Abu Dhabi Bank hosted the second edition of its SpeakEasy forum at Dubai International Financial Centre on 23 July, bringing together more than 70 engineers, coders, data scientists, technology professionals and AI enthusiasts, FF News reported. The session focused on moving from AI experimentation to enterprise-scale adoption.

The event was led by the FAB AI Innovation Hub and featured speakers from the bank, Amazon Web Services and Presight, a G42 company. The hub was established as part of FAB's strategic partnership with Microsoft to accelerate AI-led innovation in financial services, with a focus on production-grade AI and intelligent automation across business processes.

FF News Read original source
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