Today's Edition
ALLAN JACOB (ABU DHABI)
The UAE’s rapid strides in AI with strategic investments and its ambitions to become a hub of advanced technology has caught the eye of the Trump administration. US Vice President JD Vance, while lauding the UAE’s role as a "viable AI partner”, at the American Dynamism Summit in Washington, said the two countries have much to gain by leading the charge together in smart tech and energy.
The two countries are already working in tandem, with the UAE investing $25 billion in data centres while US tech giants like Microsoft are partnering with Emirati companies like G42 in new AI ventures worth $1.5 billion.
Vance acknowledged the UAE’s dynamic role and investments in AI and smart technology systems. He also referred to the visit of a high-level UAE delegation led by His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor and Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, to forge new partnerships with American technology companies.
While taking note of the growing relationship, the US Vice President noted that ”if you want to lead in artificial intelligence, you've got to be leading in energy production”. Energy-AI synergy is vital for the growth of future technologies and the UAE, like the US believes it will fuel its next phase of growth through strategic investments and partnerships.
Expounding on this synergy, Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the US, in a white paper on UAE-US ties, said: "Advanced technology is the newest pillar of a deep and enduring UAE-US relationship built on a foundation of security cooperation, trade ties and cultural exchange.”
UAE institutions and companies like G42, Mubadala, NYU Abu Dhabi and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center are joining with American counterparts like Microsoft, IBM, the Cleveland Clinic and NASA to launch new businesses, initiatives and even missions to space, he said.
The white paper highlights the UAE’s drive towards a knowledge-based economy. “The Emirates is rapidly transforming its economy into a global hub for the critical technologies of the future like artificial intelligence (AI), microelectronics, aeronautics, life sciences and space.” With a national data, cloud and AI strategy, the UAE is accelerating its transformation to a diversified knowledge-based economy. Moving from oil and gas to data and “compute,” the UAE’s shift is propelling the country beyond its legacy energy foundations and solidifying its status as a global force in advanced technologies,” it said.
