Oman, Egypt partners announced $265 million AI zone
Afouq Development & Prime Group back first AI technologies zone in the Sultanate
#Oman #AI – Oman’s Afouq Development and Egypt’s Prime Group, together with Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), have announced the Sultanate’s first Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies Zone in Muscat. Backed by a $265 million investment, the 100,000-square-metre hub aims to attract global startups, foster innovation, and support Oman Vision 2040’s economic diversification goals.
SO WHAT? – The creation of Oman’s first dedicated AI and advanced technologies zone signals the country’s ambition to compete as a regional innovation hub, and falls under the current National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The strategy has increased its focus on partnerships over the past two years and so the new $265 million hub is evidence of further success.
Here are some key points about the announcement:
Afouq Developments and Egypt’s Prime Group, in partnership with Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), , will develop a 100,000-square-metre AI and Advanced Technologies Zone in Muscat, with a total investment of $265 million.
The project was launched during the COMEX International Exhibition in Muscat, which drew more than 140 startups, 200 government and private entities, and global delegations showcasing digital transformation and emerging technologies.
The zone is designed as a regional hub for AI, advanced technologies, and innovation-driven enterprises, attracting local and international technology startups.
The MTCIT also announced plans for a Digital Triangle Project and a Green AI Alliance, uniting local and international partners to advance sustainable digital development.
Oman signed an agreement with the International Data Center Authority (IDCA) to establish the Oman Digital Triangle, creating AI-focused data hubs and super-clusters with gigawatt-scale data centre capacity.
COMEX 2025 saw additional agreements worth OMR 42 million ($109m) signed, underscoring investor confidence in Oman’s growing digital economy.
ZOOM OUT – The Muscat AI zone builds on Oman’s National AI Strategy (2024–2026), launched last year to accelerate the country’s digital transformation. The programme includes a national AI R&D centre, an Omani language generative AI model, and initiatives to raise the digital economy’s GDP contribution to 10 percent by 2040, up from 2 percent in 2021. Together, these moves place Oman among the region’s serious contenders in AI development.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]