This was the week that the UAE sent a 50-strong delegation of Chief AI Officers to the United States to tour leading technology firms, while Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince chaired the first AI-assisted council session.
In other news, Egypt and Intel launched a programme targeting one million AI learners annually; Jordan launched its first AI compute platform; the UAE emerged as a global leader in industrial AI adoption in food and beverage manufacturing; and Abu Dhabi’s M42 moved to adopt Oracle’s data platform for AI healthcare.
Across the region, Oman announced plans targeting 200MW of AI data centres, HUMAIN and KAUST explored cloud access to the Shaheen III supercomputer, while Gulf companies continued to accelerate AI adoption even as formal AI training remains comparatively limited. Here are this week’s biggest AI news stories!
Sunday, September 13th
🔊 Listen to Sunday’s Daily News Minute
🔥 Gulf firms race ahead on AI, as skills fall behind
90% of GCC organisations deploying AI, but just 29% offer formal AI training
🔥 Omani AI startups almost double in one year
42 AI companies active in August 2026, up from 22 companies in 2025
Monday, September 14th
🔊 Listen to Monday’s Daily News Minute
🔥 Oman’s O-Green targets 200MW of AI data centres
O-Green platform to expand into compute; Green Artificial Intelligence Alliance formed
🔥 HUMAIN to share KAUST’s Shaheen III supercomputer
Deal would open Shaheen III CPU system access via HUMAIN Cloud
Tuesday, September 15th
🔊 Listen to Tuesday’s Daily News Minute
🔥 M42 to adopt Oracle data platform for AI healthcare
Abu Dhabi’s M42 to unify health data with Oracle’s cloud-based data platform
🔥 UAE Factory Forward to accelerate manufacturing transformation
MoIAT unveils national push for Smart Factories, builds on work with 700 factories
Wednesday, September 16th
🔊 Listen to Wednesday’s Daily News Minute
🔥 Egypt, Intel to train 1M in AI yearly
Three-year programme to reach all age groups; 1,500 certified trainers to be prepared
🔥 Jordan launches first AI compute platform
Aqaba Hub brings AI compute onshore in Jordan; ‘Klstrai’ supports digital sovereignty
Thursday, September 17th
🔊 Listen to Thursday’s Daily News Minute
🔥 UAE sends 50-strong team on US AI trip
UAE Chief AI Officers tour top US tech firms; trip backs 50% agentic AI target
🔥 Abu Dhabi Crown Prince chairs first AI-assisted council session
Platform support analysis-based discussion and data-driven decision making
🔥 UAE leads world on industrial AI in F&B
Schneider Study: 59% expect transformational AI by 2030
Friday, September 18th
🔊 Listen to Friday’s Daily News Minute
Saturday, September 19th
🔊 Listen to Saturday’s Daily News Minute
[ This summary was AI written and human edited ]