A new AI Campus has been inaugurated at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) by crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
The Dubai AI Campus is the largest dedicated cluster of AI and advanced tech in the MENA region and is designed to accelerate adoption across all relevant sectors in order to create a “nurturing ecosystem” for AI innovation.
It is estimated that AI will contribute $230bn to the Middle East’s economy by 2030, while making up 14% of the UAE’s GDP by 2030.
Sheikh Hamdan said Dubai aims to establish itself a global hub of the digital economy and the preferred destination for AI businesses and talent.
‘Harnessing technology’s huge potential’
The Dubai AI Campus cluster will be part of the DIFC Innovation Hub, which offers dedicated co-working spaces to tech start-ups.
Phase one is complete, with more than 75 businesses registered on a 10,000 sq ft campus.
Phase two will extend the campus over 100,000 sq ft and is set to attract more than 500 companies.
It will create more than 3,000 jobs by 2028.
Tech companies including Amazon Web Services, HP, Microsoft, Oracle and Nvidia are joining the cluster as key partners.
Sheikh Hamdan said: “Our efforts continue to harness the huge potential of advanced technology. The Dubai AI Campus at DIFC is a key step towards achieving our goals of doubling economic growth and increasing AI’s contribution to Dubai and the UAE’s GDP.
“We are confident this campus will be a key addition to Dubai’s economy by hosting hundreds of businesses and offering thousands of jobs over the next few years, further cementing Dubai’s standing as a favourite destination for tech companies.”
Dubai AI & Web3 Festival
The Dubai AI Campus and the DIFC are also organising the first Dubai AI & Web3 Festival to promote AI innovation and future technology.
The event will take place 11 and 12 September 2024 at Madinat Jumeirah.
It is expected to attract more than 5,000 visitors and participants, alongside over 500 investors and 100 exhibitors.
The launch of the Dubai AI Campus contributes to the D33 Economic Agenda, which aims to generate an average of AED100bn annually for the Dubai economy through digital transformation.
