AED 543 billion UAE investments in artificial intelligence since 2024
and Remote Work Applications, said that the UAE is witnessing a new phase of acceleration of investments and projects related to artificial intelligence, in light of a national vision that seeks to consolidate the country's position as one of the most prominent driving forces of the digital economy globally.
In his speech during the UAE International Press Conference 2025, His Excellency explained that national investments in the field of artificial intelligence have reached more than 543 billion dirhams since 2024 so far, of which 100 billion dirhams are allocated to the "Stargate UAE" project and 180 billion dirhams are foreign investments, which reflects the strength of the country's presence in global markets.
He pointed out that Microsoft has announced investments worth $17 billion in the UAE during the period from 2023 to 2027, while KKR has injected about $5 billion in artificial intelligence projects within the country, stressing that these figures represent a clear proof of the growing international confidence in the UAE's digital capabilities.
His Excellency pointed out that the number of programmers in the UAE has increased to more than 450,000 programmers from the target of 300,000 by 2025, an increase of 376.9% compared to 2020, which confirms the success of national programs in developing digital competencies and empowering local and international talents.
He added that the UAE ranked third globally in terms of the percentage of employees in the field of artificial intelligence compared to the population, according to a LinkedIn report in cooperation with Stanford University in 2023, which reflects the great maturity in the country's tech talent environment.
H.E. pointed out that 58% of the UAE community uses artificial intelligence technologies of all kinds, whether in the fields of generative intelligence or advanced solutions, making the country rank first in the world in the rate of societal use of these technologies, ahead of high-income countries.
H.E. Al Tayer announced the launch of qualitative initiatives that will lead the next phase in several sectors, including the launch of the Organizational Processing Units (ROU) study and the study of high-performance computing in the UAE, in addition to the launch of four new projects as part of efforts to enhance the UAE's position as a global hub for the digital economy and artificial intelligence.
The projects include the launch of the Digital Academy, which is a specialized educational platform to provide free training content that allows individuals to turn their knowledge into digital projects or establish startups in the digital economy, as well as the Digital Economy Jobs Platform, a comprehensive database that updates daily, and offers job opportunities in the fields of the digital economy within the country, and allows easy application to them.
H.E. also explained that the next phase will witness the launch of an incentive program and a package of benefits for companies in the digital economy sector, in addition to the launch of the "Technical Director of the Digital Economy" initiative, which aims to empower technology managers and develop technical competencies in startups and SMEs.
His Excellency announced the launch of the "AI in the Field" index, which is the first test in the world to measure the compatibility of AI models with the local culture, explaining that 250 programmed signals covering the themes of history, language, customs, traditions and other topics have been analyzed, and their results will be published annually in a transparent manner.
H.E. pointed out that this project aims to help companies developing AI systems understand the vision of their systems towards the Emirati culture, through accurate comparisons of questions and answers across countries around the world, to detect any biases and ensure that the models are compatible with the local environment.
His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama stressed that the UAE continues to develop digital infrastructure and advanced computing capabilities in preparation for the next phase of artificial intelligence, pointing out that digital transformation has become a key pillar in the government work system.
Reference : Emirates News Agency - WAM
