<![CDATA[Middle East AI News]]>https://www.middleeastainews.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LEUS!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9947ccf9-8bd3-409d-a9be-e1b6ad1e4cf9_1280x1280.pngMiddle East AI Newshttps://www.middleeastainews.comSubstackWed, 17 Jun 2026 02:02:47 GMT<![CDATA[Saudi government AI spending rises by 20%]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/saudi-government-ai-spending-riseshttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/saudi-government-ai-spending-risesWed, 17 Jun 2026 02:00:40 GMT17-Jun-26 - Welcome to the Middle East AI News Minute, brought to you by Carrington Malin - Marketing for an AI First world. In this podcast:

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]]><![CDATA[CNTXT AI raises $60 million to deploy sovereign AI globally]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/cntxt-ai-raises-sixty-million-series-ahttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/cntxt-ai-raises-sixty-million-series-aTue, 16 Jun 2026 12:59:06 GMT

#UAE #funding – UAE-based data and AI company CNTXT AI has closed a $60 million Series A funding round, co-led by Abu Dhabi applied AI company AI71 and global asset manager BlueFive Capital. The funding will support product development, expansion into new markets and global deployment of secure AI infrastructure for enterprise and public-sector customers. CNTXT AI enables organisations to prepare, build, deploy and scale AI solutions while maintaining complete sovereignty over their data. The company has deployed AI platforms for government and enterprise clients in partnership with Oracle, NVIDIA and AWS.

SO WHAT? – Data sovereignty has become a defining requirement for government and enterprise AI adoption globally. Organisations that want the benefits of large-scale AI cannot afford to lose control of the data that powers it, so CNTXT AI has built its entire platform around that constraint. The $60 million Series A, backed by two of the region’s most active AI investors, validates both CNTXT’s commercial model and the scale of the market opportunity.

KEY POINTS:

  • CNTXT AI has closed a $60 million Series A round co-led by AI71, Abu Dhabi’s applied AI company focused on sovereign and domain-specialised AI, and BlueFive Capital, a GCC-originated global asset manager with $7.4 billion in assets under management. The round will fund product development, market expansion and global deployment of secure AI infrastructure.

  • CNTXT AI was founded by Mohammad Abu Sheikh, a technology entrepreneur with a track record of successful exits in AI infrastructure and applied AI platforms. His previous venture, LocAI, was acquired by AI71, which now returns as co-lead investor in this Series A, bringing a depth of conviction that goes beyond financial participation.

  • The company’s platform enables organisations to build and deploy AI while maintaining complete data control, covering the full pipeline from raw data preparation through training data labelling and annotation, custom AI solution development, and production-ready deployment.

  • CNTXT AI’s proprietary Arabic voice AI, Munsit, is described as the most accurate Arabic voice AI available, having processed over one million minutes of speech and serving more than 250 enterprises and 150,000 users. The product addresses a specific and underserved capability gap in Arabic-language AI infrastructure.

  • A second proprietary product, TestAI, provides a suite for assessing AI performance and reliability before rollout, addressing the growing enterprise need to validate AI systems under real-world conditions before deployment in regulated or high-stakes environments.

  • The company works with global technology partners including Oracle, NVIDIA and Amazon Web Services (AWS), and has supported several major global AI developers on large language model initiatives. Its client base spans enterprise and government sectors across multiple markets.

ZOOM OUT – The Series A funding news follows the announcement made earlier this month that CNTXT AI acquired Actualize, an AI startup developing dialect-aware Arabic voice agents. Its native GCC dialect models, conversational AI platform and workflow automation capabilities are being integrated into CNTXT AI's sovereign AI portfolio. The deal addressed a specific gap that limits many global AI voice models: the ability to handle the Arabic dialects people actually speak across the Gulf, versus Modern Standard Arabic. CNTXT”s Arabic platform targets customer service, banking, healthcare, media and government clients across the UAE and broader MENA region.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: CNTXT AI, MEAIN

Read more about CNTXT AI:

]]><![CDATA[Egypt signs $400m data centre deal with Hassan Allam]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/egypt-ntra-signs-data-centre-dealhttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/egypt-ntra-signs-data-centre-dealTue, 16 Jun 2026 04:16:14 GMT
Signing ceremony at Egypt’s Ministry of CIT (Image supplied)

#Egypt #datacentres – Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has signed a licensing agreement with Hassan Allam Digital Infrastructure, part of data centre engineering and construction group Hassan Allam Holding, to develop and operate a $400 million data centre. The project is built on a partnership between Hassan Allam and venture capital firm A15. The deal aligns with Egypt’s national strategy to position the country as a regional hub for data exchange and digital services, and supports its goal of generating $42.7 billion in AI-related economic value by 2030.

SO WHAT? – The new $400 million project is the tenth data centre licence issued by the NTRA during the past two years, demonstrating that Egypt’s digital infrastructure ambitions are attracting significant private investment. With a national data centre and cloud strategy in preparation and an AI strategy that aims to boost tech to deliver 7.7% of GDP by 2030, both regulatory and investment conditions seem to be converging.

KEY POINTS:

  • Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has signed a licensing agreement with Hassan Allam Digital Infrastructure to build and operate a $400 million data centre.

  • The agreement was signed at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology by Dalia Wahba, Board Member of Hassan Allam Digital Infrastructure, and Mohamed Shamroukh, CEO of NTRA, in the presence of recently appointed Communications Minister Raafat Hindi.

  • Hassan Allam Digital Infrastructure is a new venture dedicated to data centres and cloud computing, launched by Cairo-headquartered Hassan Allam Holding, one of the MENA region’s largest engineering and construction groups.

  • This is the first project to be signed as a result of a strategic partnership between Hassan Allam and A15, a Cairo-based technology and venture capital firm.

  • This is the tenth data centre licence issued by the NTRA in the past two years, reflecting accelerating regulatory activity in Egypt’s digital infrastructure sector. The Egyptian government has been encouraging companies to develop AI-enabled data centres to serve both domestic and neighbouring markets.

  • Egypt’s Ministry of Communications is preparing a national strategy for data centres and cloud computing, developed in cooperation with multiple stakeholders. The strategy aims to position Egypt as a regional hub for data exchange and digital services, while strengthening the country’s digital sovereignty.

  • Egypt’s second national AI strategy targets $42.7 billion in AI-related economic value, with AI projected to boost tech’s contribution to GDP to 7.7% by 2030. The Hassan Allam data centre aligns with this strategy, designed to support AI applications alongside cloud and data hosting for government institutions, the financial sector and international firms.

  • The global data centre market provides strong tailwinds for the investment. The sector is projected to grow at 6.98% annually between 2025 and 2030, with total market revenue expected to reach nearly $739 billion by 2030.

  • Hassan Allam plans to increase investments in subsequent years to meet growing demand for data hosting and cloud computing services. The $400 million commitment is described as an initial investment, suggesting the platform is designed to scale beyond its current scope as market demand develops.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: SPA, MEAIN

Read more about other Egypt government news:

]]><![CDATA[Saudi spends $8.5 billion on digital government during 2025]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/saudi-spends-big-on-digital-governmenthttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/saudi-spends-big-on-digital-governmentTue, 16 Jun 2026 03:25:10 GMT
(Image credit: SPA)

#SaudiArabia #DigitalGovernment – Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh-based Digital Government Authority (DGA) has published its Government Spending Report on ICT Services 2025, revealing total government ICT spending of SAR 31.9 billion ($8.5b) across more than 6,145 contracts. The DGA reported that government spending on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies rose 20 percent compared to 2024, while cloud computing expenditure jumped 42 percent. The report also shows that government digital spending generated more than SAR 9.5 billion ($2.53b) in direct economic value added, supported over 7,000 jobs, and delivered SAR 3.5 billion ($930m) in indirect economic impact across the Kingdom.

SO WHAT? – Over and above tracking government technology spending, the new report helps to map the pace and direction of Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation. The 20 percent rise in AI investment and 42 percent surge in cloud spending are not incremental increases. The high growth in emerging tech spending is consistent with a government that has completed its foundational digital infrastructure and is able to adopt new technology at speed. According to the DGA’s Emerging Technologies Adoption Readiness Index published in April, 76 percent of government entities are ready to adopt and activate emerging technologies. The new data released by the DGA this week supports this finding.

KEY POINTS:

  • Saudi Arabia’s Digital Government Authority (DGA) has published its Government Spending Report on ICT Services 2025. Total Saudi government ICT spending reached SAR 31.9 billion ($8.5b) in 2025, with government contracts valued at approximately SAR 31.7 billion ($8.45b) across more than 6,145 contracts.

  • The DGA describes the figures as reflecting increased spending efficiency in 2025 following the completion of several core digital infrastructure projects in past years.

  • Government spending on AI and emerging technologies rose 20% in 2025 compared to 2024, while cloud computing expenditure increased by 42% over the same period. Both figures indicate that the Saudi government is shifting its ICT investment mix decisively toward AI and intelligent technologies.

  • Government digital spending generated more than SAR 9.5 billion ($2.53b) in direct economic value and SAR 3.5 billion ($930m) in indirect economic impact, supporting the creation of more than 7,000 jobs. Local contracts accounted for 49% of government software procurement (a strong indicator of growing domestic digital capability).

  • SMEs captured 29% of total government ICT contract value in 2025, with contracts awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises amounting to approximately SAR 9.23 billion ($2.46b). Their share of overall government digital spending reached 23%, reflecting deliberate policy to broaden private sector participation in government digital projects.

  • National framework agreements delivered significant procurement efficiencies, with purchase orders executed through these agreements exceeding SAR 5.16 billion ($4.26b) and benefiting more than 500 government agencies and 65 companies. The agreements accelerated procurement processes and reduced costs across the public sector.

  • Cloud computing, AI and beneficiary experience improvement are identified as the primary investment priorities driving spending growth. The shift toward these categories follows completion of the core digital infrastructure buildout that dominated government technology spending in previous years, showing that Saudi digital government has entered a more advanced digital phase.

  • The DGA report connects ICT spending directly to Saudi Arabia’s international competitiveness, noting the Kingdom ranked first on the Tortoise Intelligence Government Strategy Index for Artificial Intelligence in 2023, ahead of Germany and China. The report frames continued investment as essential to maintaining and strengthening that global position.

  • The Digital Government Authority oversees digital transformation across all Saudi government entities, setting technical standards, supervising government cloud governance, building national digital capabilities and supporting public and private entities with digital government services.

ZOOM OUT – The DGA spending data sits within a broader picture of Saudi Arabia’s global leadership in public sector AI adoption. The Public Sector AI Adoption Index 2026, published by UK-based research consultancy Public First for Washington-based think tank the Center for Data Innovation, ranked Saudi Arabia first globally across all five dimensions of AI adoption: enthusiasm, empowerment, enablement, embedding and education. The index found that approximately two-thirds of Saudi government workers use AI tools daily, 77% report organisational investment in AI infrastructure, and nearly half have been using AI for more than a year. The report classified Saudi Arabia alongside Singapore and India as an Advanced Adopter.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: SPA, MEAIN

Read more about Saudi Arabia’s AI initiatives:

]]><![CDATA[Oman cybersecurity market set for strong growth]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/oman-cybersecurity-market-set-forhttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/oman-cybersecurity-market-set-forTue, 16 Jun 2026 02:01:10 GMT16-Jun-26 - Welcome to the Middle East AI News Minute, brought to you by Carrington Malin - Marketing for an AI First world. In this podcast:

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Note: this is an experimental podcast using a clone of my voice created by AI. Unfortunately, the voice clone is prone to some errors, including mispronunciations of some Arabic words and place names. However, I’m always working to improve this.

]]><![CDATA[UAE to form unified federal AI & data authority]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-to-form-unified-federal-ai-andhttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-to-form-unified-federal-ai-andMon, 15 Jun 2026 02:01:04 GMT15-Jun-26 - Welcome to the Middle East AI News Minute, brought to you by Carrington Malin - Marketing for an AI First world. In this podcast:

Stories that you may have missed…

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Note: this is an experimental podcast using a clone of my voice created by AI. Unfortunately, the voice clone is prone to some errors, including mispronunciations of some Arabic words and place names. However, I’m always working to improve this.

]]><![CDATA[Saudi business AI adoption hits 33% in 2025, up 20% in one year]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/saudi-business-ai-adoption-hits-33https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/saudi-business-ai-adoption-hits-33Sun, 14 Jun 2026 16:03:55 GMT
Riyadh (Image credit: SPA)

#SaudiArabia #digitaltransformation – AI adoption among businesses in Saudi Arabia reached 33 percent in 2025, showing a 20 percent increase on 2024 according to the latest report from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The information and communications sector leads all industries at 61 percent AI adoption, followed by financial and insurance services at 53 percent and education at 51 percent. The figures come from GASTAT’s Establishments ICT Access and Usage Survey, conducted using methodology aligned with UN Conference on Trade and Development international standards. The report paints a picture of broad and accelerating digital transformation across the Kingdom’s business sector.

SO WHAT? – One in three Saudi businesses now uses AI and that reflects a business sector that is actively responding to government direction, infrastructure investment and competitive pressure. The Kingdom’s government has played an outsized role in driving digital transformation and AI adoption and the results can be seen across both public and private sectors. The growing prevalence of AI across sectors shows that AI adoption is no longer confined to technology companies. According to GASTAT, the adoption rate for finance, education, transport and professional services are all above 40 percent, suggesting the shift is structural rather than concentrated in a handful of digital-native industries.

KEY POINTS:

  • AI adoption across Saudi Arabian businesses reached 33.1% in 2025, up 20% from the previous year, according to the latest General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) ICT Access and Usage Survey. The data covers establishments across all major economic sectors and is benchmarked against international standards.

  • The information and communications sector leads all industries with 61.1% AI adoption, followed by financial and insurance services at 52.9% and education at 51%. Transportation and storage reached 44.4% and professional activities 43.9%, indicating that AI uptake has moved well beyond technology-native sectors.

  • Cloud computing has crossed the majority threshold, with 51.3% of Saudi establishments now using cloud services. Within that group, 56.4% use cloud-based office software, 55.3% use cloud email services and 42.8% rely on cloud storage, all recording year-on-year growth.

  • Internet connectivity is near-universal across Saudi businesses, with 98.1% of establishments reporting internet access. E-government service usage has reached 93.2%, reflecting the depth of digital infrastructure now embedded across the Kingdom’s business environment.

  • IoT adoption is widespread, particularly for building security. 71.4% of establishments use Internet of Things technology for security applications including smart alarms, fire detection, surveillance and access control. Customer service IoT usage stands at 54.6%, while energy management and maintenance applications reach 40% and 25.4% respectively.

  • E-commerce activity continues to expand, with 33.5% of establishments using the internet to sell or display goods and services. The financial and insurance sector leads at 48.5%. Among establishments receiving online orders, 28% deliver their sales digitally, pointing to growing end-to-end digital commerce capability.

  • Electronic banking is now mainstream for Saudi businesses, with 79.1% using the internet for banking services. Social media platform usage stands at 66.3%, and 52.3% of establishments advertise their products via social media, reflecting the integration of digital channels across both operations and marketing.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

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Establishments ICT Access and Usage Statistics 2025 (June 2026)
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Source: GASTAT, Saudi media

Read more about Saudi Arabia’s AI adoption:

]]><![CDATA[UAE creates federal authority to lead AI, data & digital government]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-federal-authority-for-artificial-intelligencehttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-federal-authority-for-artificial-intelligenceSun, 14 Jun 2026 08:51:12 GMT
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Image credit: Dubai Media Office)

#UAE #AIGovernance – His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has approved the creation of the UAE Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority. The new federal body reports directly to the UAE Cabinet and is chaired by Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama. The authority consolidates three existing entities: the Office of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; the Digital Government Sector at the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority; and the Emirates Data Office. Its mandate spans national AI strategy, digital government services, government data integration and driving AI’s direct contribution to UAE GDP.

SO WHAT? – This is a structural move, designed to place AI at the centre of UAE federal governance. The formation of the new Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority is the latest in a sequence of strategic institutional changes recognising AI’s increasingly central role in the UAE government. In April 2026, the UAE renamed its Ministerial Development Council as the Ministerial Council for Artificial Intelligence and Development, giving AI transformation direct executive authority at the highest tier of government. By consolidating of three separate bodies into a single authority with a Cabinet-level mandate, the UAE is removing the institutional fragmentation that professional research consistently identifies as the primary barrier to effective government AI deployment.

“We are building the government of the future. A government that runs on data and agentic AI. One that decides faster, delivers better and never stops improving. A government built around people, not paperwork.”

—His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

KEY POINTS:

  • The Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority is being established as a new UAE federal body, reporting directly to the Cabinet. Approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the new body consolidates the functions of three previously separate government entities under a single national mandate. The authority will be led and chaired by Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama.

  • The authority’s mandate covers six key responsibilities: leading the country’s data, AI and digital government agenda; unifying national directions to build a cohesive agentic AI-powered digital government ecosystem; proposing national policies, legislation and strategies; leading the AI strategy and driving its contribution to GDP; designing and delivering proactive, integrated digital government services; and managing and integrating government data platforms across federal entities.

  • The new authority sits within an ongoing restructuring of UAE federal governance around AI. In April 2026, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the renaming of the Ministerial Development Council as the Ministerial Council for Artificial Intelligence and Development, chaired by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The council brings together key stakeholders to oversee federal performance, reviews policies and legislation across all federal entities, giving the UAE's AI transformation direct executive authority at ministerial level.

  • The consolidation announced today addresses a structural challenge that has constrained government AI programmes globally. Research published by global business school INSEAD and international technology group Yango identifies fragmented data environments and weak cross-entity coordination as two of the five most persistent barriers to effective government AI deployment, both of which the new authority is designed to resolve.

  • The authority will unify national AI direction across federal bodies, providing coherence between the federal government’s agentic AI programme. The move builds on a 25-year digital government foundation and follows the UAE’s designation in 2017 as the first country in the world to appoint a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence. The new authority represents the latest structural evolution in what the UAE describes as its Government 4.0 strategy.

  • Data integration sits at the heart of the new authority’s operational role. Managing and integrating government data platforms, ensuring quality, availability and cross-entity sharing under advanced governance frameworks.

  • The announcement follows a series of rapid agentic AI deployment decisions across the UAE federal government, including a Cabinet-approved framework to transform 50% of government sectors, services and operations to agentic AI within two years, and a workshop engaging more than 300 officials from 50 federal entities as a kick-off for a structured 90-day implementation sprint.

  • Sheikh Mohammed framed the authority’s creation in terms of citizen outcomes, writing that the goal is “a government that is more efficient, flexible and proactive, harnessing technology to serve humanity and build a better future for generations to come”, positioning the structural change explicitly around service delivery rather than institutional reorganisation.

ZOOM OUT – The formation of the new Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority comes at a critical moment in the UAE’s AI implementation timeline. Just a few days ago, the UAE Cabinet launched a 90-day agentic AI sprint, requiring every federal entity to select, design and begin implementing its own agentic AI service within three months. With ten priority operational areas identified spanning human resources, procurement, financial affairs, legislative affairs, internal audit and facilities management, among others, progress is being monitored on a regular basis. Ministers, directors general and department heads are being held directly accountable for delivery on the project. So, the logic behind the creating of a single coordinating authority with Cabinet-level authority is very clear. This provides a structure to scale governance across the entire federal government as it accelerates AI adoption beyond the speed of all competitors.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: UAE Government post on X.com

Read more about UAE federal government’s AI initiatives:

]]><![CDATA[This week’s top stories — June 7-13, 2026]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/this-weeks-top-stories-june-7-13https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/this-weeks-top-stories-june-7-13Sat, 13 Jun 2026 06:36:27 GMT

This was the week that KKR and Kuwait launched the $10 billion Helix Digital Infrastructure venture, bringing together investment capital, power infrastructure and NVIDIA technology to accelerate AI development across the region.

In other news, Dubai announced plans to equip 295,000 companies with Agentic AI over the next two years; Stanford University and Arabic.AI launched a new Arabic Enterprise AI benchmark; the UAE began a 90-day government-wide Agentic AI sprint across 50 federal entities; and Zoom opened its second Saudi Arabian data centre backed by a $75 million investment.

Here are this week’s biggest AI news stories!

Saturday, June 7th

🔥 Saudi-Egyptian VC Edafa acquires two Egyptian AI startups

  • Construction tech Kuadra and health-tech IRRI Vision acquired in six-figure deals.

Sunday, June 8th

🔊 Listen to Sunday’s Daily News Minute

🔥 Zoom opens second Saudi data centre backed by $75 million investment

  • New facility at Center3 supports government, enterprise and critical national infrastructure.

Monday, June 9th

🔊 Listen to Monday’s Daily News Minute

🔥 AI shopping is mainstream, but consumers won’t let AI pay

  • Visa study reveals a trust gap at the checkout in UAE and Egypt.

🔥 Dubai-based Algebra AI nets $7 million funding to serve mid-market

  • Managed AI operations target more than 30,000 GCC mid-market businesses.

🔥 Dubai deploys AI to overhaul real-time bus management

  • Smart dashboards transform the city’s Bus Operations Control Centre.

Tuesday, June 10th

🔊 Listen to Tuesday’s Daily News Minute

🔥 MEA CIOs face world’s highest AI Agent growth

  • IBM study reveals a widening control gap as enterprise AI scales fast.

🔥 Qatar pipe maker builds AI maintenance platform in-house

  • APC Maintenance Hub automates engineering, inventory and asset management.

🔥 DISAI AI programme picks ten DeepTech startups

  • Qualcomm, Aramco, RDIA and HUMAIN back second cohort of AI innovators.

🔥 UAE launches 90-day agentic AI sprint across 50 federal entities

  • UAE government kicks off agentic AI roll-out with 300 officials at workshop.

Wednesday, June 11th

🔊 Listen to Wednesday’s Daily News Minute

🔥 Dubai plans to equip 295,000 firms with Agentic AI in two years

  • Dubai to host the world’s largest student programming contest in November.

🔥 Stanford, Arabic.AI launch Arabic Enterprise AI benchmark

  • New Arabic AI leaderboard tests models on finance and legal tasks.

Thursday, June 12th

🔊 Listen to Thursday’s Daily News Minute

🔥 Middle East boardrooms actively reviewing AI’s role in decision-making

  • 35% of Middle East board directors see significant transformation of their roles.

Friday, June 13th

🔊 Listen to Friday’s Daily News Minute

🔥 KKR & Kuwait launch $10 billion AI infrastructure venture

  • Helix Digital Infrastructure unites capital, power and NVIDIA technology.

Thanks for reading Middle East AI News! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

]]><![CDATA[Kuwait backs $10 billion AI infrastructure push]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/kuwait-backs-10-billion-ai-infrastructurehttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/kuwait-backs-10-billion-ai-infrastructureSat, 13 Jun 2026 02:01:01 GMT13-Jun-26 - Welcome to the Middle East AI News Minute, brought to you by Carrington Malin - Marketing for an AI First world. In this podcast:

Stories that you may have missed…

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Note: this is an experimental podcast using a clone of my voice created by AI. Unfortunately, the voice clone is prone to some errors, including mispronunciations of some Arabic words and place names. However, I’m always working to improve this.

]]><![CDATA[KKR & Kuwait launch $10 billion AI infrastructure venture]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/kkr-kuwait-launch-10-billion-helixhttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/kkr-kuwait-launch-10-billion-helixFri, 12 Jun 2026 11:31:35 GMT
Nvidia data centre (Image credit: Nvidia - Edited)

#Kuwait #USA #datacentres – Global investment firm KKR, the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), semiconductor giant NVIDIA and integrated power company Vistra have jointly launched Helix Digital Infrastructure, a new company designed to finance and deliver AI infrastructure at hyperscale. Helix launches with more than $10 billion in committed long-duration capital and is led by Adam Selipsky, former CEO of Amazon Web Services. The company positions itself as a single coordination point for hyperscalers’ data centre, power, connectivity and related infrastructure needs, addressing what its founders describe as a critical bottleneck in global AI deployment.

SO WHAT? – The scale of AI infrastructure investment required over the coming decade is beyond what any single organisation can deliver alone. Hence, Helix is a direct response to that challenge. The purpose-built vehicle brings together institutional capital, hyperscaler operational expertise, semiconductor technology and power generation capability under one roof. KIA’s participation as a founding investor is also significant, demonstrating that the Gulf sovereign wealth fund is doubling down on its new strategy to invest in global AI infrastructure. With the formation of Helix, now its third major global AI infrastructure investment partnership in little more than 12 months, it is clear that KIA is becoming a key player in this space.

KEY POINTS:

  • Helix Digital Infrastructure, a dedicated company focused on investing in, delivering and managing the next generation of AI-enabling infrastructure, has launched with more than $10 billion in committed capital. The firm is backed by global investment firm KKR, the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), semiconductor giant NVIDIA and integrated power company Vistra .

  • The venture will remain open to additional eligible institutional investors following the closing of founding commitments.

  • Adam Selipsky, former CEO of Amazon Web Services, leads Helix as co-founder and CEO, bringing direct experience scaling the world’s largest cloud business. Waldemar Szlezak, KKR’s Global Head of Digital Infrastructure, serves as Chief Investment Officer alongside a dedicated management team and board.

  • Helix will invest across the full AI infrastructure stack, including hyperscale data centre development and operations, baseload and flexible power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, and fibre and connectivity infrastructure. The wide spread is deliberate, with the venture aiming to cover every critical dependency in the AI buildout chain.

  • NVIDIA joins as a cornerstone strategic partner, supporting deployment of its DSX AI factory-aligned infrastructure across Helix investments. The partnership is designed to maximise tokens per watt, achieve the lowest total cost of ownership, and accelerate time to first token for Helix’s portfolio.

  • Vistra serves as Helix’s preferred power partner, bringing existing power generation capacity and more than 5,000 megawatts of executed power purchase agreements with hyperscalers. Power generation and grid interconnection are identified as critical gating factors for AI infrastructure deployment, making Vistra’s role rather central.

  • KKR’s infrastructure platform provides the institutional backbone, with over $100 billion in infrastructure assets under management and more than $70 billion invested across digital and power assets. KKR’s anchor investment is funded through its balance sheet and managed vehicles.

  • The Kuwait Investment Authority describes Helix as a differentiated model combining proven leadership, integrated capabilities and long-duration capital. KIA’s participation marks a significant commitment by one of the world’s longest established sovereign wealth fund and a continuation of its strategy to invest in global AI infrastructure for the long-term.

  • AI is driving what the company’s founders describe as the largest infrastructure buildout in modern history, requiring trillions of dollars in investment across data centres, power and connectivity over the coming decade. Helix was formed specifically to remove the coordination and financing bottlenecks that are currently slowing hyperscalers’ ability to deploy capacity at the speed the market demands.

ZOOM OUT – The Helix launch is the third major AI infrastructure commitment from the Kuwait Investment Authority in just one year. In June 2025, KIA became the first non-founder financial anchor investor in the AI Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), the $100 billion coalition anchored by BlackRock, Microsoft, Global Infrastructure Partners and Abu Dhabi's MGX. In November 2025, KIA partnered with Canadian alternative asset manager Brookfield Asset Management and NVIDIA to anchor the $10 billion Brookfield Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Fund. This is part of a $100 billion global AI infrastructure programme spanning AI factories, behind-the-meter power solutions and sovereign compute capacity across multiple continents. Now KIA steps in as a founding investor in Helix alongside KKR, NVIDIA and Vistra as a third distinct high-end infrastructure investment vehicle.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: KKR

Read more about Kuwait Investment Authority investments in infrastructure:

]]><![CDATA[Middle East boardrooms actively reviewing AI's role in decision-making]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/middle-east-boardrooms-review-ai-rolehttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/middle-east-boardrooms-review-ai-roleFri, 12 Jun 2026 05:26:06 GMT
Illustrative image (Image credit: MEAIN via Grok)

#MiddleEast #governance – Middle East board directors are leading the world in reviewing what role AI should play in board-level decision-making. 58 percent of boards in the region are actively discussing AI’s role, compared with a global average of 49 percent and just 42 percent of UK board directors. The finding comes from the Board Value Index, a global study by London-based board technology and advisory firm Board Intelligence, which surveyed more than 400 non-executive directors, CEOs and CFOs from companies with over £50 million in turnover across the UK, US, Nordics and Middle East. The same study finds that 86 percent of directors globally say poor decision-making processes have already contributed to at least one delayed, rushed or poor decision in the past six months.

SO WHAT? – As AI moves into the boardroom, the question of where human judgement ends and AI begins is no longer theoretical and prompts questions that boards must resolve. It comes as no surprise that Middle East directors are moving faster than their global peers on this question, given the region’s accelerating AI adoption at enterprise level. The risk for boards that are still only discussing (rather than acting) is that AI deployment runs ahead of governance, creating accountability gaps that are difficult to close retrospectively.

KEY POINTS:

  • 58% of Middle East board directors are actively reviewing which decisions should remain human-led as AI becomes more capable according to the Board Value Index, a global study by London-based Board Intelligence, which surveyed more than 400 non-executive directors, CEOs and CFOs from companies with over £50 million in turnover across the UK, US, Nordics and Middle East.

  • It seems more Middle East board directors are actively reviewing AI’s potential impact on decision-making than anywhere else in the world. The US follows at 53%, with Nordic boards at 45% and UK boards trailing at 42%.

  • Globally, 84% of boards have engaged with the human-versus-AI decision question in some form. However, a global average of only 49% have moved to active review. A further 34% have discussed the topic but not yet acted, while 15% have discussed it and delegated further action to management.

  • The study highlights Middle East boards as the most forward-looking of all regions surveyed. Only 38% of Middle East directors say at least half of board meeting time is spent reviewing past performance, compared with 51% in the UK, 44% in the Nordics and 29% in the US. In general, Middle East boards are more oriented toward future strategy than their global counterparts.

  • Skills gaps are the sharpest challenge facing Middle East boards: 80% of Middle East directors report that skills gaps have caused at least one delayed or poor decision in the past six months. The figure that points to a widening gap between the strategic demands boards face and the expertise available around the table.

  • 86% of directors globally say rigid or inconsistent decision-making processes have contributed to a poor decision in the past six months. The most commonly cited obstacles are inadequate decision-making frameworks (34%), unclear roles between boards, executives and committees (32%), and poor quality information reaching the board (29%).

  • Middle East boards are also the most bullish on quantum computing as a strategic opportunity. While 44% of directors globally view quantum primarily through a security risk lens, 30% of Middle East directors see it first as an opportunity (the highest of any region, compared with just 19% in the Nordics).

  • Middle East directors are the most confident in their board’s contribution to value creation. Globally, only 37% of directors describe their board as essential to value creation, and 15% say it adds little or no value at all. In the Middle East, 42% describe their board as essential (the highest regional figure in the study).

  • Innovation enablement remains weak globally despite positive sentiment. 79% of directors say their board enables innovation, but only 18% describe it as a strong enabler. Middle East boards lead with 86% saying they enable innovation. A telling internal gap exists between CEOs and CFOs, 27% of whom say their board strongly enables innovation, versus just 12% of non-executive directors.

  • 40% of directors globally expect boards to require little or no meaningful change over the next five years, despite acknowledging AI will fundamentally reshape their organisations. Middle East boards, once again, are the most ambitious about their own transformation, with 35% envisaging significant change or complete reimagining of how boards operate.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: Board Intelligence

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]]><![CDATA[Dubai targets 295,000 firms with Agentic AI]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/dubai-targets-295000-firms-with-agentichttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/dubai-targets-295000-firms-with-agenticFri, 12 Jun 2026 02:01:22 GMT12-Jun-26 - Welcome to Middle East AI News by Carrington Malin brought to you by Positron AI - Positron delivers efficient AI inference hardware. Prepare for the post-training era: exponentially scale datacenter inference with Positron’s lowest power and cost per token. In this podcast:

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]]><![CDATA[Dubai plans to equip 295,000 firms with Agentic AI in two years]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/dubai-plans-to-equip-295000-firmshttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/dubai-plans-to-equip-295000-firmsThu, 11 Jun 2026 16:30:23 GMT
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai chairing meeting (Image credit: Dubai Media Office).

#UAE #AgenticAI – Dubai Crown Prince H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has approved an executive plan to accelerate agentic AI adoption across Dubai’s private sector, targeting 295,000 companies, 100 specialised AI assistants and 50 new agentic AI companies within two years. The plan was reviewed at a meeting of the Higher Committee for Future Technology Development and the Digital Economy, chaired by Sheikh Hamdan. During the meeting Dubai was also confirmed as host of the 50th International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals in November 2026, the world’s largest student programming competition.

SO WHAT? – Dubai is making the adoption of agentic AI across the emirate a top priority, with a private sector enablement programme to enable 295,000 companies with agentic AI, build 100 purpose-built AI assistants, and create 50 new agentic AI firms. The programme could reshape the emirate’s entire private sector around autonomous AI systems before many other governments even start their agentic AI journey. As usual, Dubai is taking a holistic approach that includes talent, regulation, infrastructure, ecosystem development and funding.

KEY POINTS:

  • Dubai Crown Prince H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has approved an executive plan to accelerate agentic AI adoption across Dubai’s private sector.

  • Dubai’s agentic AI private sector programme targets 295,000 companies across the emirate, with plans to develop and deliver 100 specialised AI assistants and support the establishment of 50 dedicated agentic AI companies. A two-year timeframe is set to deliver on the goals.

  • The programme marks a deliberate shift from conventional AI tools to autonomous systems. Sheikh Hamdan framed the next phase of Dubai’s AI journey as a transition to AI systems capable of executing tasks, making decisions and managing operations, moving beyond tools that respond to prompts toward agents that act independently on behalf of businesses.

  • Dubai will host the 50th edition of the International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals from 16 to 20 November 2026, welcoming 140 teams from more than 70 countries. The International Collegiate Programming Contest is the world’s largest student programming competition, and Dubai’s hosting rights reinforce its positioning as a global destination for digital talent and knowledge-economy development.

  • A number of other Dubai programmes were also reviewed a the meeting:

    • The Ignyte platform, Dubai’s integrated services hub for entrepreneurs and startups, has surpassed 36,000 users and delivered more than 3,000 specialised mentoring sessions. The platform provides entrepreneurs with a unified environment covering business setup, mentoring and ecosystem connectivity.

    • Dubai Founders HQ attracted over 1,100 members and 500 startups within its first nine months, with companies in its ecosystem raising more than AED 200 million in funding — a strong early signal of Dubai’s growing pull for early-stage technology ventures.

    • The Dubai AI Campus now hosts more than 400 specialised companies and has trained over 1,500 participants through its AI Academy, while the AI Infrastructure Empowerment Platform has been adopted by 27 government entities since launch, ensuring full data sovereignty for Dubai.

    • The SME digital trade support initiative, developed in partnership with Amazon, has grown more than threefold, reaching over 105,000 companies by May 2026 and surpassing its annual target of 100,000 ahead of schedule.

  • Two additional strategic initiatives were approved at the meeting. The Dubai Global Talent Network will connect global talent based in or previously linked to Dubai, leveraging their expertise across future sectors. A Digital Twin System for Dubai Police, beginning with a 150-camera pilot, will enhance smart surveillance through real-time data analysis and integrated decision-making support.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: Dubai Media Office

Read more about Dubai Government’s AI initiatives:

]]><![CDATA[UAE runs 90-day AI sprint across government; ME consumers love AI shopping!]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-runs-90-day-ai-sprint-acrosshttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-runs-90-day-ai-sprint-acrossThu, 11 Jun 2026 04:33:02 GMTGood morning!

Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News email digest!

Another huge week for AI across the Middle East! The biggest news story of the week is the latest move by the UAE government to implement AI.

Seven weeks ago the UAE government announced an initiative to deploy agentic AI across 50% of all public services within two years. Yesterday, after weeks of intensive preparation, the government gave 50 government entities 90-days to identify, design and start deploying their own agentic AI service or operation!

Also in this issue: du launches a $50 million venture fund with Shorooq; Zoom opens a second Saudi data centre; Qualcomm, Aramco, RDIA and HUMAIN unveil the DISAI 2026 DeepTech cohort; Visa reports AI-assisted shopping is now mainstream across the region; and an IBM study finds that MEA organisations expect the world’s fastest growth in AI agents over the next year!

As usual, thanks to sponsor US-based developer of hardware and software for AI inference Positron AI! Start a conversation with Positron and find out about how to achieve the highest performance and the lowest cost per token for AI inference here.

Thanks for reading!

/Carrington

Agentic AI

UAE runs 90-day AI sprint across government

#UAE #Government - The UAE Federal Government has launched a 90-day agentic AI sprint across 50 federal entities following a Dubai workshop attended by more than 300 officials. Each entity must design and begin implementing its own AI service as part of a programme to transform 50 per cent of government sectors, services and operations within two years. (Middle East AI News)

MEA CIOs forecast world’s fastest AI agent growth

#MiddleEast #agenticAI - IBM’s 2026 Tech Leader Study finds CIOs and CTOs in the Middle East and Africa expect AI agent numbers to grow by up to 87 per cent between 2026 and 2027, the highest rate globally. Yet only 11 per cent of technology leaders worldwide feel fully prepared, while 77 per cent say AI adoption is outpacing governance capabilities. (Middle East AI News)

Startups

DISAI selects ten DeepTech startups for 2026

#Saudi #DeepTech - Qualcomm, Aramco, RDIA and HUMAIN have announced the ten startups selected for the DISAI 2026 programme from more than 124 applications. Seven of the cohort are Saudi-founded, with participants gaining technical mentorship, IP support and access to advanced AI infrastructure to accelerate commercialisation. (Middle East AI News)

du launches $50m venture fund with Shorooq

#UAE #venturecapital - du and Shorooq have launched du Ventures, a $50 million fund to accelerate fintech, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure startups. Beyond investment, participating companies will gain access to du’s infrastructure, enterprise customers and regional market reach to support commercial scaling. (Middle East AI News)

Algebra AI emerges with $7m funding

#UAE #services - Dubai-based Algebra AI has emerged from stealth with $7 million in funding to deliver managed AI operations for the GCC mid-market. The company designs, operates and continuously optimises AI-enabled workflows rather than simply deploying technology. (Middle East AI News)

Edafa acquires two Egyptian AI startups

#Egypt #M&A - Saudi-Egyptian investor Edafa Venture Capital has completed six-figure acquisitions of Egyptian construction technology firm Kuadra and health-tech platform IRRI Vision. The deals strengthen regional innovation efforts and reflect growing momentum in Egypt’s ecosystem for artificial intelligence-driven industry and healthcare solutions. (Middle East AI News)

Egypt launches startup initiative for smarter public services

#Egypt #accelerators - Egypt’s Ministry of Finance has launched an initiative to work with startups on smart public services, including the use of artificial intelligence to simplify tax procedures and reduce administrative burdens. The ministry is also strengthening cybersecurity, developing digital tax and customs systems, and preparing a mobile app for real estate tax services. (Daily News Egypt)

Retail

AI shopping grows but trust in AI payments lags

#UAE #AIcommerce - Visa’s latest Stay Secure study finds AI-assisted shopping is now mainstream across the region, with 91 per cent of consumers in Egypt, 90 per cent in Saudi Arabia and 85 per cent in the UAE using AI tools while shopping. Yet trust in agentic checkout remains low, with less than 4 out of ten consumers willing to let AI complete payments on their behalf. (Middle East AI News)

Data Centres

Zoom opens second Saudi data centre

#Saudi #communications - Zoom has launched a second Saudi data centre in Riyadh, hosted by center3, extending its $75 million investment commitment to the Kingdom. The facility expands local data residency capacity for government and enterprise customers while strengthening regional connectivity across Europe, Asia and Africa. (Middle East AI News)

LLMs

Stanford CRFM, Arabic AI launch HELM Arabic Enterprise

#UAE #LLMs - Stanford University’s Center for Research on Foundation Models and enterprise AI provider Arabic AI have launched HELM Arabic Enterprise, a transparent and reproducible leaderboard for Arabic large language models. Arabic.AI’s flagship LLM-X currently ranks highest across seven benchmarks, beating powerful global open source models. (Middle East AI News)

Bilaterals

Saudi and Russia expand innovation partnership

#Saudi #innovation - MODON and the Moscow Innovation Hub have signed a new agreement in Riyadh to establish joint incubators and accelerators focused on artificial intelligence, robotics and energy innovation. The partnership aims to strengthen entrepreneurship, industrial innovation and specialised talent development aligned with Vision 2030. (Maaal)

Saudi and Turkiye expand AI and digital cooperation

#Saudi #technology - Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have explored deeper cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and smart mobility during talks in Riyadh between Minister Abdullah Alswaha and Turkish Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu. The discussions focused on expanding investment, accelerating innovation and strengthening digital economy partnerships in line with Saudi Vision 2030. (Arab News)

Education

Iraq approves first AI health graduate institute

#Iraq #education - Northern Technical University in Nineveh has secured approval for Iraq’s first Graduate Institute for Health Technologies and Artificial Intelligence. The institute will offer postgraduate programmes and help develop AI specialists to support the country’s healthcare and academic sectors. (Shafaq News)

19-year-old founder sells NoNerds to JoAcademy

#Jordan #education - Jordanian founder Mohammad Alsufi, 19, has sold AI-native education platform NoNerds to JoAcademy in a $140,000 acquisition. With more than 120 courses, 6,000 lectures and 12,000 students, NoNerds’ AI infrastructure will now be integrated into JoAcademy’s platform, which serves over 2.1 million learners across the region. (Zawya)

Smart Cities

Dubai deploys AI to overhaul real-time bus management

#UAE #transport - Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has deployed AI-powered smart dashboards in its Bus Operations Control Centre, cutting early bus departures by more than 68 per cent and reducing CO₂ emissions by over 13,000 tonnes. Built with the RTA’s Artificial Intelligence Centre on the Dataiku platform, the system uses predictive analytics and real-time operational tools to improve network performance and disruption response. (Middle East AI News)

SFDA RASID cuts Hajj medicine checks by 98%

#Saudi #health - Saudi Arabia’s SFDA says its AI-powered RASID medication verification platform processed more than 50 languages, verified over 2,000 medications in ten days and reduced verification times by up to 98 per cent during Hajj. The Riyadh-developed system supports safer pharmaceutical services for pilgrims. (Saudi Press Agency)

Sport

Google Gemini joins Jordan football as AI sponsor

#Jordan #sponsorship - The Jordan Football Association has named Google Gemini as the official AI technical sponsor of the national team. The partnership will introduce AI-powered fan experiences, match analysis tools and digital content initiatives as Jordan prepares for its first FIFA World Cup appearance in 2026. (The Jordan Times)

[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]

Thanks for reading Middle East AI News! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

]]><![CDATA[Stanford, Arabic.AI launch Arabic Enterprise AI benchmark]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/stanford-helm-arabic-enterprise-benchhttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/stanford-helm-arabic-enterprise-benchThu, 11 Jun 2026 04:01:27 GMT

#UAE #ArabicAI – California-based Stanford University’s Center for Research on Foundation Models (Stanford CRFM), in collaboration with enterprise AI technology provider Arabic AI, has launched HELM Arabic Enterprise, the first structured benchmark designed to evaluate large language models (LLMs) on Arabic-language enterprise tasks. Built on Stanford’s globally recognised HELM evaluation framework, the leaderboard tests models across six tasks spanning corporate content generation, financial reasoning and UAE legal question answering, giving organisations a transparent, reproducible tool for comparing Arabic AI model performance in professional and regulated environments.

SO WHAT? – Until now, organisations deploying Arabic AI in enterprise settings have had no rigorous, shared benchmark to assess whether a model is actually fit for purpose in finance, legal or corporate communications workflows. General Arabic language performance is often not the same as Arabic enterprise performance and this leaderboard makes enterprise metrics measurable for the first time. The new HELM Arabic Enterprise aims to provide a baseline for organisation in the Arab world evaluating Arabic LLMs for business use.

KEY POINTS:

  • Stanford University’s Center for Research on Foundation Models (Stanford CRFM), in collaboration with Arabic AI, has launched HELM Arabic Enterprise, the first structured benchmark designed to evaluate large language models on Arabic-language enterprise tasks.

  • HELM Arabic Enterprise evaluates models across six enterprise-focused tasks: article generation, financial multiple choice question answering, financial boolean verification, financial calculation, and both open-book and closed-book UAE legal question answering. Each task is scored on a scale of 0 to 1, with results macro-averaged across all six.

  • Arabic.AI’s own LLM-X model topped the leaderboard with a mean score of 0.826, the highest of all models evaluated. It also achieved the highest scores in article generation (0.927), financial multiple choice (1.0), financial boolean verification (0.877), and closed-book legal question answering (0.495).

  • The leaderboard so far evaluates more than 20 models across three categories: closed-weights multilingual models including Claude 4, GPT-5.1, Gemini 2.5 and Command A; open-weights multilingual models including DeepSeek v4, Llama 4 and Qwen3.5. The benchmark also evaluates Arabic-specific models including ALLaM, JAIS and AceGPT-v2, but as with its predecessor HELM Arabic, the other Arabic models evaluated are not the latest releases and well over a year old.

  • The other Arabic-specific models were outperformed by general multilingual models across the board, but as the benchmark authors note this is likely due to the age of the models tested.

  • Legal question answering revealed a sharp performance gap between open-book and closed-book settings. The highest open-book score was 0.99, while the highest closed-book score was just 0.495 — indicating that most models lack sufficient embedded knowledge of UAE law to answer legal questions without being provided the relevant statute.

  • Financial calculation proved the hardest quantitative task, with the highest score reaching only 0.753. The benchmark authors attribute this to the difficulty of performing multi-step arithmetic reliably in Arabic without access to calculation tools..

  • Hallucination in Arabic content generation remains a widespread problem. Although some models scored well on article generation, many introduced unsupported facts into their output. The benchmark’s three-axis evaluation, across faithfulness, completeness and style adherence, is designed to separate models that are factually precise from those that are fluent but unreliable.

  • Full transparency and reproducibility are core to the leaderboard’s design. All prompts, model responses, metrics and scores are publicly available for inspection, and results can be independently reproduced using the open-source HELM framework. These allow organisations to use them to audit model behaviour rather than rely on headline scores alone.

ZOOM OUT – The HELM Arabic Enterprise leaderboard builds directly on an ongoing collaboration between Stanford CRFM and Arabic AI. In January of this year, the collaboration announced its the first leaderboard extending Stanford's HELM framework into Arabic language evaluation across seven established benchmarks, including AlGhafa, AraTrust, ALRAGE and Translated MMLU. The HELM Arabic leaderboard focused on general Arabic language capabilities, with Arabic.AI's LLM-X topping the rankings and open-weights multilingual models — particularly Qwen3 235B — performing strongly against closed-weights alternatives. The earlier leaderboard established the transparency and reproducibility principles that HELM Arabic Enterprise now applies to the more demanding territory of enterprise use.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: Arabic AI, Stanford CRFM

LINKS

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]]><![CDATA[UAE starts 90-day Agentic AI government sprint]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-starts-90-day-agentic-ai-governmenthttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-starts-90-day-agentic-ai-governmentThu, 11 Jun 2026 02:01:14 GMT11-Jun-26 - Welcome to Middle East AI News by Carrington Malin brought to you by Positron AI - Positron delivers efficient AI inference hardware. Prepare for the post-training era: exponentially scale datacenter inference with Positron’s lowest power and cost per token. In this podcast:

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]]><![CDATA[MEA CIOs face world’s highest AI Agent growth ]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/mea-cios-face-worlds-highest-ai-agenthttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/mea-cios-face-worlds-highest-ai-agentWed, 10 Jun 2026 17:14:12 GMT

#MiddleEast #Africa #AgenticAI – Technology leaders in the Middle East and Africa expect up to 87 percent AI agent growth between 2026 and 2027, significantly exceeding the forecasts of their peers in Europe and Asia Pacific, according to IBM’s 2026 Tech Leader Study. The IBM Institute for Business Value surveyed 2,000 CIOs and CTOs across 33 geographies, finding that two-thirds are already accountable for AI systems they do not fully control. Globally, only 11% feel completely prepared for the scale of AI agent deployment ahead, while 77% say AI adoption is outpacing their governance capabilities.

SO WHAT? – Large enterprises around the world are adopting agentic AI very fast and nowhere as fast as the Middle East and Africa region. However, this is largely being done by organisations that, by their own admission, as yet lack the governance structures to manage them safely. That combination of high growth and low readiness is a risk profile that boards, regulators and technology leaders need to take seriously. The IBM data shows clearly that organisations which build control into their AI systems from the start deploy more agents, spend less, and deliver better margins. The IBM study concludes that the architecture decisions being made right now will define outcomes for years ahead.

KEY POINTS:

  • Middle East and Africa technology leaders expect AI agent numbers to grow by up to 87% between 2026 and 2027: the highest anticipated growth rate of any region globally, according to the new IBM 2026 Tech Leader Study - Redefining the tech leader’s mandate. The global average across all surveyed regions is a 38% increase over the same period.

  • A striking finding is that two-thirds of surveyed CIOs and CTOs globally are today accountable for AI systems they do not fully control. At the same time, 70% report that business teams are deploying technology faster than IT can track, compounding the governance challenge.

  • Only 11% of global technology executives say they are fully prepared for the scale of AI agent deployment expected by 2027. This is despite 80% of those operating under CEO-driven mandates to accelerate AI transformation. A finding which reveals real tension between board-level ambition and operational readiness.

  • Surveyed organisations experienced an average of 54 AI agent incidents last year, each requiring human correction. Of those, 17% were classified as high severity: taking more than four hours to contain. Among the high-severity incidents, 37% resulted in data exposure or security breaches, and 33% caused cascading system failures.

  • Organisations that embed control directly into their AI systems experience 25% fewer incidents than those relying on manual governance. Those organisations also deploy 16 times more AI agents, deliver 18% higher operating margins, and spend four times less of their AI budget. So, the case for investing in governance architecture early appears compelling.

  • According to the study, AI spend is projected to jump from just under 15% of IT budgets in 2025 to nearly 25% by 2027 (a 71% increase in two years). Yet 84% of technology executives have not fully operationalised AI financial management, and 85% lack real-time visibility into what they are actually spending on AI.

  • Organisations that kept workloads portable and avoided hard technology dependencies reported a 10% higher return on AI investment in 2025. Flexibility in AI architecture is emerging as a measurable financial advantage, not just a best practice.

  • Security and compliance concerns are the top barrier to scaling AI agents, cited by 59% of surveyed technology leaders globally. As agent numbers grow and incident rates rise, the pressure on security teams is set to intensify considerably across the region.

ZOOM OUT – In its conclusion, the IBM study argues that IT architecture has become a strategic business asset and that asset now determines what a company can pursue and how fast it can move. As AI agents shift from pilots to production, they make autonomous decisions at volumes no manual governance process can realistically supervise. Most technology leaders are still running infrastructure built for stability, governance models dependent on human review, and investment frameworks designed for multi-year asset cycles. None of those are fit for the speed AI now demands. IBM’s research finds that organisations which have built three specific capabilities — infrastructure adaptability, governance by design, and portfolio discipline — report 38% higher expected revenue growth than those that have not. The implication for MEA technology leaders is direct: the architecture decisions being made today are not IT choices, they are business strategy.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: IBM

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]]><![CDATA[DISAI AI programme picks ten DeepTech startups]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/disai-ai-picks-ten-deeptech-startupshttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/disai-ai-picks-ten-deeptech-startupsWed, 10 Jun 2026 16:44:04 GMT

#SaudiArabia #DeepTech – US semiconductor giant Qualcomm, Saudi Arabia’s national energy company Aramco, the Saudi Arabia Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA), and Saudi Arabia’s national AI champion HUMAIN have announced the ten startups selected for Design in Saudi Arabia with AI, or DISAI 2026. The startup programme, which attracted more than 124 applications, supports deep-tech startups from concept through to commercialisation, combining technical mentorship, IP strategy, access to advanced AI platforms and access to the latest AI infrastructure.

SO WHAT? – DISAI is quietly becoming one of the most substantive deep-tech accelerators in the region. The combination of Qualcomm’s semiconductor and IP expertise, Aramco’s industrial scale, RDIA’s strategic backing and HUMAIN’s AI infrastructure gives selected startups access to a rare set of resources. Seven of the ten selected startups are Saudi-born, and their focus areas, from Arabic-first document intelligence to industrial edge AI and multi-disease medical diagnostics, reflect exactly the kind of locally relevant, globally competitive innovation Saudi Arabia’s has strived to encourage.

KEY POINTS:

  • Qualcomm, Aramco (via its Saudi Accelerated Innovation Lab aramcoSAIL), the Saudi Arabia Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA), and HUMAIN have announced the ten startups selected for the 2026 edition of the Design in Saudi Arabia with AI programme (DISAI 2026).

  • The ten startups were selected from more than 124 applications, nearly double the number of its inaugural 2025 cohort. The programme runs from April through November 2026, culminating in a finale event where startups will showcase product prototypes and services to investors and industry partners.

  • Seven of the ten selected startups are Saudi-founded, spanning industrial AI, healthcare diagnostics, circular economy automation, smart mobility, edge computing and Arabic-language document intelligence. The cohort reflects the breadth of Saudi Arabia’s emerging deep-tech ecosystem across both industrial and civic applications.

  • HUMAIN joins the programme as a new partner for 2026, giving startups access to national AI infrastructure including inference cloud credits, hosting of larger AI models, AI-enabled PCs with on-device acceleration and technical support.

  • The ten selected startups for DISAI’s second cohort are:

    1. Circula (Saudi Arabia) - offers an AI-powered circular-economy platform automating industrial waste recovery and compliance.

    2. Crosscall (France) - provides rugged AIoT trackers for 450 MHz industrial and worker-safety networks.

    3. Deqa AI (Saudi Arabia) - offers an AI-powered enterprise automation and decision-support platform for operational efficiency.

    4. Dexabot (Canada) - specialises in industrial security and surveillance using drones and drone fleets.

    5. Digital Petroleum (Saudi Arabia) - created a single edge-AI industrial sensor to replace multiple legacy sensors and simplify Industry 4.0 digitization.

    6. Electronic Photonics (Saudi Arabia) - offers a LiDAR-based edge-AI traffic digital twin for smart intersections and mobility analytics.

    7. Finix Systems (Saudi Arabia) - provides a modular industrial IoT edge controller to retrofit legacy equipment for smart monitoring.

    8. Nommas.ai (Saudi Arabia) - offers an AI “factory brain” enabling quality inspection, predictive maintenance and safety at the edge.

    9. SDM (Saudi Arabia) - offers a multi-disease AI diagnostic platform using medical imaging for early detection.

    10. Tawkeed (Saudi Arabia) - offers an on-prem, Arabic-first AI document intelligence platform compliant with Saudi data-sovereignty rules.

  • Qualcomm has expanded the programme’s technical platforms for 2026, enabling startups to prototype on Arduino UNO Q, the newly announced Arduino VENTUNO JQ, and Qualcomm AI accelerators including the AIC200 and industrial AI gateway platforms, giving participants access to hardware that bridges edge AI development and industrial deployment.

  • IP strategy is a core programme pillar, with Qualcomm providing intellectual property mentorship and patenting training throughout. In parallel, Qualcomm has launched a free online Arabic-language IP learning programme at L2prosaudiarabia.com, designed to equip startups, SMEs and researchers with skills to protect and commercialise their innovations.

  • Aramco views DISAI as a foundation for a larger open innovation programme, with plans to scale beyond the current cohort model to invite global startups and innovators to engage directly with Aramco’s industrial challenges, focusing on industrial AI, IoT and advanced communications.

  • The programme aligns directly with Saudi Arabia’s designation of 2026 as the Year of AI, and with Vision 2030 objectives to build a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: Qualcomm

Read about more startup programmes:

]]><![CDATA[UAE launches 90-day agentic AI sprint across 50 federal entities]]>https://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-launches-90-day-agentic-ai-sprinthttps://www.middleeastainews.com/p/uae-launches-90-day-agentic-ai-sprintWed, 10 Jun 2026 14:42:49 GMT
(Image credit: WAM)

#UAE #government – The UAE Federal Government has held a workshop on agentic AI with more than 300 participants from 50 federal entities and launched a 90-day sprint for each entity to create its own specific agentic AI service. The workshop provided a department-level kick-off to the government’s programme to transform 50 percent of government sectors, services and operations with agentic AI services within two years. Organised by the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs in Dubai, the workshop was held under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and sets a 90-day target for each federal entity to select, design and begin implementing an agentic AI service or operation.

SO WHAT? – The UAE has moved fast since first announcing the plan to deploy agentic AI across 50 percent of government sectors, services and operations within two years. However, the biggest challenge is moving from planning and theory to implementation and real-world application. The government has prepared intensively over the past couple of months, briefing and training staff and management at all levels. It has also delegated much of the responsibility for developing and implementing AI to ministers, directors and department heads. This week’s workshop reveals why this preparation was so critical, as each government entity was given 90-days to select, design and implement their own agentic AI.

KEY POINTS:

  • The UAE Federal Government has held an agentic AI workshop attended by 300 officials from 50 UAE federal entities. Organised by the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs in Dubai ,the session launched the formal implementation tracks of the UAE’s agentic AI government transformation programme, which targets 50% of government sectors, services and operations within two years.

  • Each federal entity must now complete a full agentic AI service launch within 90 days, structured across three phases: an exploration phase to select the appropriate service or operation; a design phase to develop the target journey; and an implementation planning phase to define application requirements and initial execution plans.

  • Ten priority operational areas were identified during the workshop, covering human resources, procurement and contracts, financial and administrative affairs, legislative affairs, internal audit, digital transformation and technical support, institutional communication and media, facilities management, maintenance, and shared operational processes across ministries.

  • Criteria for selecting priority operations include transaction volume, frequency, number of beneficiaries, and readiness for transformation. Readiness is assessed on the clarity of documented procedures, availability of up-to-date data, current automation levels, and expected impact on service quality, cost efficiency and customer satisfaction.

  • The government operations track began with a comprehensive mapping exercise across all federal ministries and entities, identifying priority operations for conversion to agentic AI models and taking stock of existing and in-development applications, culminating in a federal-level implementation plan.

  • Implementation will be monitored on a regular basis over the 90-day period, with government work teams receiving support to ensure targets are met and selected services are launched within the set timeframe. The structured oversight model is designed to maintain delivery momentum across all 50 entities simultaneously.

  • The programme explicitly targets impact on both individuals and businesses, with government teams directed to select services and operations where agentic AI conversion will deliver maximum benefit to citizens and the private sector.

ZOOM OUT – In April 2026, the UAE announced a world-first government framework to deploy agentic AI across 50% of UAE government sectors, services and operations within two years. The government aims to use AI systems to monitor changes, manage operations, execute decisions and introduce improvements in real time, without human intervention. A new taskforce, overseen by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and chaired by Minister of Cabinet Affairs H.E. Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, was formed to drive execution of the agentic AI plan. Notably, ministers, directors general and government entity heads will be assessed on their speed and capability in adopting agentic AI.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]

Source: Emirates News Agency, MEAIN

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