UAE’s first AI Center of Excellence launches in Abu Dhabi

Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, and e& enterprise, a division of e& (formerly Etisalat Group), have announced the establishment of the region’s first AI Center of Excellence (CoE).

The launch emphasizes the importance of pursuing partnerships and collaborations with businesses, governments, investors, and startups to co-create industry-specific and use case-driven AI solutions in order to create a smarter, safer, and more sustainable world.

The AI CoE will serve as a platform from which AI solutions can be built and scaled. Badr Al-Olama, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Hub71, and Salvador Anglada, Chief Executive Officer of e& enterprise signed the agreement at Hub71’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

Badr Al-Olama, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Hub71, said: “The region’s first AI Center of Excellence at Hub71 will provide a robust ecosystem for innovative technology ideas to grow and scale, and will allow startups to benefit from Hub71’s community, programs and knowledge sharing platforms.

AI could unlock $5.5 trillion to $12.6 trillion in value globally by 2030 and offer immense potential in sectors that are of strategic importance to Abu Dhabi’s socio-economic growth. In support of the objectives outlined in the UAE Centennial 2071 strategy that focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity, we at Hub71 are committed to further developing technologies that act as a catalyst in progressing a dynamic and diversified economy.

“e& enterprise shares our vision to accelerate the digital transformation that is disrupting new ways of addressing challenges. We look forward to this partnership in promoting AI solutions across Abu Dhabi, with the aim of eventually being deployed globally,” added Al-Olama.

“The AI Center of Excellence, supported by our strategic partner DataRobot, will further progress our vision to be the leading digital enabler for our enterprise and government clients as we empower them to become data-driven and highly automated organizations. We look forward to driving the digital transformation conversation by leveraging the expertise of disruptive scale-ups and AI companies while establishing long-term partnerships with major accelerators and technology providers regionally and globally,” said Salvador Anglada, Chief Executive Officer, e& enterprise.

The e& enterprise AI Centre of Excellence, the UAE’s first dedicated AI hub, will help to cement Abu Dhabi’s leadership in AI innovation and adoption by building a strong ecosystem of talent and partners by connecting startups, companies, and investment firms, as well as developing and scaling cutting-edge AI solutions. The AI CoE will transform the future of AI by providing best-in-class resources and expertise, supporting a thriving innovation ecosystem, cultivating local talent, and boosting the country’s socio-economic growth.

Startups can apply to join the AI CoE through Hub71’s flexible menu of incentives and The Outliers, a Hub71 program with e& enterprise as a partner that is designed to solve challenges that corporations and governments face by providing innovative solutions conceived by startups.