UAE's NextGenFDI brings in US robotics firm; Aramex drone delivery tests

Good morning!

Here’s your weekly roundup of Middle East AI News!

Lots of news from around the region to share today including some stories with the potential for some longer term economic impact.

First, the second company to set up in the UAE under the governments NextGenFDI programme is US robotics firm Gecko. The company, which plans to create 300 jobs around its UAE factory, puts a spotlight on why emerging tech manufacturers should consider the UAE.

Second, Saudi Arabia's launch of the Saudi Downtown Company, under the sovereign wealth fund P.I.F., aims to develop the downtown areas in 12 key Saudi cities. No doubt smart city technologies will be key and help transform those cities with new benefits for citizens, businesses and other stakeholders.

And lastly, following months of drone delivery trials by UVL Robotics in Oman, Aramex has tested its own delivery drone in the Sultanate via a partnership with the drone services company. If they're lucky, Aramex's regional relationships with aviation stakeholders, combined with UVLs BVLOS drone system, could lead to proof of concepts around the region for new drone delivery services. Let's see what happens!

Scroll down for these stories and more!

Have a great day!

/Carrington

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UAE NextGenFDI

US Gecko Robotics set to establish international HQ and production facility in UAE

#UAE #robotics - Gecko Robotics, Inc., which develops inspection industrial #robots for the oil, gas and power sectors, is setting up a new international headquarters in the UAE under the Ministry Of Economy, UAE’s new NextGenFDI programme. (Emirates News Agency)

Smart Cities

Crown prince announces launch of Saudi Downtown Company for development

#Saudi #smartcities - Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the launch of the Saudi Downtown Company on Monday which aims to build and develop downtown areas and mixed-use destinations in 12 Saudi cities. (Arab News)

Beeah launches AI-driven facility to strengthen zero waste to landfills goal

#UAE #waste - BEEAH REcycling, the waste processing and material recovery subsidiary of Sharjah's BEEAH Group, has opened a C&I recycling facility employing a robotics and AI system that automatically detects, identifies and separates different types of waste. (The National)

Digital Transformation

du undertakes largest digital transformation program in the region

#UAE #DX - du (Emirates Integrated Telecommunication Company, or EITC), has announced what it terms the largest digital transformation program in the region to enhance customer experience, whilst maximising its business and operational capabilities. (Zawya)

UAE businesses’ digital transformation needs workforces to keep pace, says Dell study

#UAE #DX - 92% of UAE business leaders regard their people as their greatest asset, although 57% believe their organisation underestimates the people requirements when planning transformation programs. This according to 2021 research by Vanson Bourne shared by Dell. (Gulf News)

Digital transformation missions gather pace in the United Arab Emirates

#UAE #DX - IT decision-makers in the UAE are doubling down on their digital transformation efforts, according to new YouGov research commissioned by F5. Most decision-makers ranked 5G top of their trends chart (62%), followed by multi-cloud networking (42%). (Zawya)

Metaverse

Metaverse to add $360bn to MENA’s GDP over the next decade

#Saudi #meteverse - Metaverse is predicted to add $360 billion to the economy in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey over the next 10 years, an official for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, told Asharq Business. (Arab News)

Data Centres

STC to spend $1 billion to make Saudi Arabia a regional data hub

#Saudi #data - stc (Saudi Telecom Co.), the Middle East’s most profitable mobile operator, plans to spend about $1 billion to transform the kingdom into a regional data hub, investing in building data centres and submarine data cables. (Gulf Business)

AI Diplomacy

UAE compliments Ethiopia’s artificial intelligence achievements

#Ethiopia #UAE #AI - Head of Cyber-Security Office of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti, commends accomplishments of the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute since its establishment in January 2020. (FANA BC)

Drones

Aramex completes testing of drone delivery in Oman with UVL Robotics

#Oman #dronedelivery - Aramex, the Middle East's biggest courier company, has announced the completion of a drone services pilot in the Sultanate of Oman's capital area in collaboration with UVL Robotics. (The National)

Seed Group joins forces with UAE drone manufacturer Microavia

#UAE #drone - The Seed Group, a company of the Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, has joined hands with UAE drone manufacturing company, Microavia. (Seed Group)

How drones help catch suspects in Sharjah’s industrial areas

#UAE #security - The serious crime rate in Sharjah’s industrial areas has fallen 47 per cent, thanks to a targeted Sharjah Police initiative. The decrease follows ramped-up efforts, including the use of drones, to fight crime in these areas, (Gulf News)

Space

Oman’s first satellite set for orbit

#Oman #space - Oman’s new space programme will enable groundbreaking scientific research and capture high-resolution satellite images, which will be further analyzed digitally using AI solutions developed by TUATARA in strategic partnership with Oman's ETCO. (Zawya)

Defence

UAE developed UAV passes test flight

#UAE #UAVs - A new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed and made in the UAE has passed its test flights and is ready for production. First revealed at IDEX 2013, the UAV can carry up to 10 air-to-ground missiles with a delivery range of 60 kilometres each and fly for up to 120 hours. (The National)

Saildrone CEO says Iranian interference was valuable experience, not a surprise

#FifthFleet #Iran #USVs - In late August and early September, Iran attempted to abduct US unmanned surface vessels produced by Saildrone. But the company’s CEO says he was unfazed by the events, instead calling the experience “valuable”. "If someone takes it, good luck. Keep it, it's worthless. We’ve got hundreds of them." (Breaking Defense)

First published via Revue.