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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. 57 Wednesday, August 26, 2026 From the Archive
Infrastructure Capital

UAE AI Buildout Puts Water Security At Centre Of Infrastructure Race

The country's data centre and industrial expansion is turning power, cooling and desalination into strategic infrastructure for the next phase of artificial intelligence investment.

By The Otonomi Investment Desk

The UAE's push into artificial intelligence and advanced industry is increasing the strategic weight of water infrastructure, as data centres and industrial projects require reliable cooling and utility capacity. The National reported that Abu Dhabi is building Stargate UAE, a 1 gigawatt artificial intelligence supercomputing and data centre project expected to cost more than $30 billion.

AI-related investments in the UAE for 2024 and 2025 exceeded Dh543 billion ($147.9 billion), with global firms including Microsoft and KKR announcing major investments in the country, according to the report. Abdulaziz Alobaidli, director general for regulatory affairs at Abu Dhabi's Department of Energy, said new desalination plants are expected to meet rising demand and that Abu Dhabi is building a desalination plant in Shuweihat, while another project was commissioned in the second quarter of this year.

The report linked the utility buildout to the UAE's wider industrial strategy, including the Make It In The Emirates drive and the target of increasing the industrial sector's contribution to GDP to Dh300 billion by 2031 from Dh133 billion in 2021. The National also cited regional data showing the Middle East spent $53.4 billion on desalination capacity between 2006 and 2024, with a further $26 billion expected up to 2028.

The National Read original source

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Autonomous Mobility

ADIO Secures 29 Deals To Move Autonomous Logistics Into Commercial Use

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office announced 29 commercial deployment agreements for autonomous mobility technologies during Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit, part of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week. Abu Dhabi Media Office said the agreements involve partners including K2, LODD Autonomous, Autologix, Sinaha, TractEasy, MLG and Space42, and are intended to help companies move from pilot projects to commercial deployment.

The agreements cover e-commerce, food and goods delivery, healthcare delivery and industrial logistics, with partners including Integrated Transport Centre, Talabat, Noon, Aramex and PureLab. ADIO said the projects include drone delivery pilots, autonomous ground vehicles, intelligent warehouses powered by robotics and AI, and a Level 4 autonomous cargo vehicle pilot between Autologix and Emirates Post.

Abu Dhabi Media Office Read original source
Physical AI

TII And NVIDIA Launch Middle East AI And Robotics Joint Lab In Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi's Technology Innovation Institute, part of the Advanced Technology Research Council, has partnered with NVIDIA to launch the Middle East's first joint lab dedicated to both artificial intelligence and robotics. The TII-NVAITC Joint Lab will combine NVIDIA accelerated computing platforms with TII research in AI, robotics, autonomous systems and high-performance computing.

The lab will work on embodied AI models, robotics and humanoid stacks, real-time robotic hardware, robotic learning and control at scale, and the development and integration of large language models including TII's Falcon family. TII chief executive Dr Najwa Aaraj said the collaboration is aimed at building AI-enhanced robotic systems capable of reasoning, adapting and acting in complex environments.

Abu Dhabi Media Office Read original source
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Further Dispatches
Startup Capital

DIEZ Reports AI Startup Growth As Oraseya Invests Across 15 Companies

Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority said its investment and innovation ecosystem maintained momentum in the first half of 2026, with Oraseya Capital investing in 15 startups, including companies specialising in artificial intelligence technologies. The number represented a 25 percent increase in new investments compared with the first half of 2025, while Oraseya remained the UAE's most active investor by number of deals for the third consecutive year, according to MAGNiTT rankings cited by the authority.

DIEZ also reported a 96 percent occupancy rate across Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai CommerCity, a 13 percent rise in companies operating in its zones and 24 percent workforce growth. At Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus, new company registrations rose 57 percent from the first half of 2025 and the number of companies specialising in AI grew by 95 percent.

Government of Dubai Media Office Read original source
Finance Skills

MoF And DIFC Academy Put AI Into Federal Finance Training

The Ministry of Finance has signed a strategic partnership with DIFC Academy to deliver certified chief finance director and financial consultant programmes for federal professionals. WAM reported that the curricula are structured around leadership development, artificial intelligence, financial analysis and strategic planning, and financial advisory.

The programmes include modules on AI technologies and AI assistants for analysing complex financial data, generating intelligent reports, automating financial processes and improving predictive forecasting. Younis Haji AlKhoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, said the partnership is designed against the backdrop of rapid technological advancement and the UAE's strategic direction to accelerate AI integration across government.

WAM Read original source
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