IHC to launch Emirati AI marketplace agent ‘SAIF’
Smart Artificial Intelligence Facilitator (SAIF) to provide access to GPUs, LLMs.
#UAE #marketplaces - Abu Dhabi-based global investment company IHC has announced plans to launch the first UAE-built AI marketplace powered by SAIF, the ‘Smart Artificial Intelligence Facilitator’. Announced at the Make It in the Emirates this week, the new platform aims to democratise access to crucial AI infrastructure, including Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), and to Large Language Models (LLMs), for developers worldwide who currently face barriers due to bulk purchase requirements from global providers.
SO WHAT? - The UAE is purposefully building the platforms, infrastructure and resources that the national AI ecosystem needs to compete globally. Core to this effort is developing sovereign AI and UAE-made AI products that can be marketed globally, contributing to the UAE’s economy. While major cloud providers like AWS, Google, and Microsoft have long dominated access to AI compute resources, the new IHC marketplace aims to grow by being more flexible and developer-focused. The initiative also aims to further position the UAE as creator and facilitator of next-generation AI ecosystems.
Abu Dhabi-based IHC, one of the world's largest investment firms with a market capitalisation of $239.3 billion, is developing an AI marketplace designed to revolutionise how developers source crucial AI components globally. The announcement was made at Make It in the Emirates 2025.
The platform will be powered by SAIF (Smart Artificial Intelligence Facilitator), the first Emirati AI Marketplace Agent, which will serve as a user-friendly interface enabling direct purchase of GPUs, AI modules, and custom AI stack designs.
According to IHC, SAIF possesses impressive multilingual capabilities, speaking over 5,000 languages, and offers multiple accessibility options including mobile and PC access through voice, text, or video call interactions.
The marketplace will specifically target a significant pain point in AI development: many developers currently cannot access cutting-edge AI computing chips or LLMs due to prohibitive bulk purchase requirements.
Developed entirely within the UAE, the platform will embody the nation's values of trust, hospitality, speed, and precision while serving as a concrete manifestation of the country's AI 2031 vision and digital economy strategy.
The company has indicated that further details about the marketplace's capabilities, scope, and international partnerships will be revealed in the coming weeks.
ZOOM OUT - As the Middle East's most valuable holding company with over 1,300 subsidiaries and a $239.3 billion market capitalisation, IHC has demonstrated increasing commitment to embedding advanced technologies throughout its operations. The company recently deployed Aiden Insight 2.0, the UAE's first sovereign AI Board Observer, which was present at their Q1 2025 results meeting providing strategic recommendations. IHC's robust financial position — evidenced by a 41.1% year-on-year revenue increase to AED 27.2 billion in Q1 2025 — enables its ambitious technological agenda. The SAIF AI marketplace is the first commercial AI product announced directly by the holding group.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
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