New Qatar semiconductor R&D hub; Hub71 startup Skipr nets $2M funding
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News email digest, brought to you by big data analytics and AI company Presight!
Lots of news to share again this week, from new research centres to startup funding. Hub71 startup Skipr has announced a successful $2 million funding round; MBZUAI researchers have released a new open-source clinical AI model; and Qatar Science and Technology Park has a new semiconductor research hub.
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R&D
imec opens semiconductor research hub in Qatar
#Qatar #semiconductors - Belgium’s imec has launched its first Middle East semiconductor research hub at Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP). Supported by Invest Qatar and QRDI, the centre will focus on AI chip design, silicon photonics and 3D integrated circuits, with plans to hire 100 specialists by 2030. (Middle East AI News)
AURAK launches advanced AI research centre
#UAE #research - American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) has opened the Advanced Technology and Artificial Intelligence Centre. Backed by the TDRA ICT Fund and partners including Microsoft, AWS, IBM, Dell and Huawei, the facility integrates high-performance computing, robotics and IoT infrastructure for applied research. (Middle East AI News)
MBZUAI unveils open-source MediX-R1 medical AI
#UAE #healthcare - Researchers at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi have developed MediX-R1, an open-source multimodal medical AI model designed for clinical reasoning. The system scored a 73.6% benchmark average across 17 datasets and 95.1% on the US Medical Licensing Examination. (Middle East AI News)
Education
Egypt to add AI and coding to technical schools
#Egypt #education - Egypt will introduce AI and coding courses into technical school curricula from the 2026–27 academic year. The initiative expands national education reforms following strong enrolment in secondary coding programmes and aims to strengthen the country’s digital workforce pipeline. (CairoScene)
MBZUAI launches Ruwwad AI scholars fellowship
#UAE #education - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has introduced the Ruwwad AI Scholars Fellowship to support Emirati PhD graduates. The programme funds two-year postdoctoral placements at leading global institutions, covering stipends, research funding and relocation to strengthen the UAE’s long-term academic leadership in artificial intelligence. (MBZUAI)
Egypt embeds AI testing into leadership training
#Egypt #education - Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has directed the National Training Academy to integrate digital and AI-based testing systems into its human capital strategy. The initiative aims to strengthen institutional performance, expand leadership training and deepen international partnerships supporting Egypt’s administrative modernisation. (Ahram Online)
Funding
Abu Dhabi startup Skipr raises $2M for AI trust layer
#UAE #funding - Abu Dhabi-based Skipr Technologies has raised $2 million to develop a sovereign trust layer enabling secure AI-to-AI communication across organisations and borders. Part of the Hub71 ecosystem, the startup is building zero-trust infrastructure for telecoms, AI labs and data centres, with backing from Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi government. (Middle East AI News)
HPC
Oman proposes national AI supercomputer centre
#Oman #HPC - A new UNESCO AI Readiness Report proposes creating a National AI Supercomputer Centre in Oman to support large language model training and advanced simulations. The initiative could reduce reliance on foreign cloud providers while positioning Oman as a regional inference hub leveraging subsea connectivity and digital zone incentives. (Oman Observer)
Data centres
EHC and Supermicro partner on sovereign AI data centres
#UAE #datacenters - EHC Investment, part of International Holding Company, has partnered with California-based Supermicro to deploy sovereign AI modular data centres across the UAE. Using Supermicro’s building block architecture, facilities can be deployed within six to nine months. (Middle East AI News)
CoEs
Rosenberger opens AI competence centre in Tunisia
#Tunisia #CoEs Germany consultancy Rosenberger has launched a new AI Competence Centre in Tunisia to expand advanced analytics and artificial intelligence development. The facility will support solutions across telecommunications, automotive electronics and industrial technologies. (Rosenberger)
AI agents
G42 begins hiring AI agents for enterprise roles
#UAE #agents - Abu Dhabi-based G42 says AI agents can now apply for structured enterprise roles within the company. The initiative introduces evaluation, probation and performance-based compensation frameworks for digital agents. (G42)
Policy
ALECSO launches AI and digital justice chair
#Tunisia #law - The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) has launched a new Chair in Conflict Resolution and Digitalisation in Tunis examining how artificial intelligence is reshaping legal systems. The initiative will explore digital justice frameworks and policy development across the Arab world as AI technologies transform judicial processes. (ALECSO)
Bahrain lawmakers consider unified GCC AI strategy
#Bahrain #GCC - A proposal for a unified Gulf Cooperation Council artificial intelligence strategy is heading to Bahrain’s Parliament. The plan calls for coordinated regulation, education and innovation policy across GCC states to strengthen competitiveness, shared standards and cross-border technology collaboration. (News of Bahrain)
Awards
Dubai to host 2026 AI World Series Awards
#UAE #awards - Dubai will host the 2026 AI World Series Awards on 8 October, organised by the AI for Business Institute with support from Dubai Silicon Oasis. The programme recognises measurable enterprise AI deployments as organisations shift from experimental pilots to enterprise-wide deployment (Middle East AI News)
Islam
Qatar launches AI-powered fatwa guidance app
#Qatar #Islam - Qatar’s Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs has introduced FatwaTok, an AI-powered app delivering scholar-reviewed Islamic legal guidance. The app uses semantic search, automated summarisation and audio AI to expand global access to trusted religious advisory services. (Middle East AI News)
Water
IWMI joins UAE global AI agriculture ecosystem
#UAE #agritech - The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has joined the UAE’s AI Ecosystem for Global Agricultural Development via CGIAR’s AI Hub. The collaboration will deploy AI-driven hydrological models and digital water management tools to improve climate resilience, optimise irrigation and strengthen global food security strategies. (IWMI)
AVs
Tesla begins supervised self-driving trials in Abu Dhabi
#UAE #AVs - Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Centre is overseeing Tesla’s first Advanced Self-Driving supervised road trials in the emirate. Conducted under a formal regulatory framework, the initiative evaluates real-world performance and safety readiness. (Abu Dhabi Media Office)
Competitions
Morocco expands RamadanIA hackathon programme
#Morocco #hackathons - Morocco’s Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform is expanding the nationwide RamadanIA Hackathon to accelerate sovereign AI innovation. The programme brings startups together to develop solutions for agriculture, water management, tourism and healthcare as part of the Digital Morocco 2030 strategy. (Morocco World News)
[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]