US elevates UAE access to AI chips; Cohere unveils Arabic speech model
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News email digest!
As usual, lots of news to share this week! In this edition, the United States clears licence-free exports of advanced AI chips to the UAE; HUMAIN and Cohere partner to build sovereign Arabic AI models in Saudi Arabia; the UAE opens entries for its third National AI Award with a new focus on Agentic AI; and Saudi Arabia launches a national framework to manage AI risks across government and industry.
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US clears licence-free AI chip exports to UAE
#UAE #AIchips – The United States has upgraded the UAE to its highest export control tier, allowing licence-free imports of advanced AI chips and servers by the UAE government, G42 and approved US technology companies. The move strengthens the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership and accelerates AI infrastructure development. (Middle East AI News)
VC & Funding
Think raises $8 million for AI infrastructure
#Saudi #funding – Riyadh-based AI infrastructure venture Think has raised more than $8 million in a pre-seed round co-led by RAED Ventures and Wa’ed Ventures. The company says its platform achieves GPU utilisation above 90%, compared with an industry average of 30–50%, helping reduce the cost of deploying AI models. (Middle East AI News)
Jordan backs Saudi AI fund with $5 million
#Jordan #investment – Jordan’s Innovative Start-ups and SMEs Fund (ISSF) will invest $5 million in Saudi Technology Ventures’ AI fund. The partnership establishes a Jordan-Saudi investment corridor aimed at directing funding and regional expertise towards Jordanian AI start-ups. (Middle East AI News)
AI Models
Cohere unveils Arabic speech AI model
#Canada #Arabic – Cohere has launched Transcribe Arabic, which it says is the most accurate open-source Arabic speech recognition model available. The model outperforms leading rivals across multiple dialects while preserving regional speech and Arabic-English code-switching, supporting sovereign AI and voice applications across the Middle East and North Africa. (Middle East AI News)
HUMAIN, Cohere to build Arabic AI models
#Saudi #Arabic – HUMAIN and Cohere have formed a strategic partnership to develop sovereign AI models, including Arabic-language foundation models, backed by at least 50 megawatts of dedicated AI compute. The collaboration marks Cohere’s first international compute expansion beyond North America. (Middle East AI News)
Open Data
Saudi launches AI economic data gateway
#Saudi #economy – Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning has launched the beta version of INSAIGHTS, an agentic AI tool within the Data Saudi platform. Drawing on more than 7,500 economic and social indicators, it delivers instant analysis from plain-language queries for businesses, researchers and policymakers. (Middle East AI News)
Banking
Emirates NBD enables blockchain USD payments
#UAE #blockchain – Emirates NBD has become the first bank in the region to offer real-time blockchain-based US dollar cross-border payments through the Partior network. The service delivers faster and more transparent international payment capabilities for corporate and institutional customers. (Zawya)
Egypt expands AI finance training
#Egypt #training – The Central Bank of Egypt has launched the fifth cohort of its Generative AI in Finance programme. Delivered with industry partners, the initiative equips banking professionals with skills in large language models, financial modelling, compliance and digital transformation. (Businessmen Egypt)
Digital Economy
World Bank backs Egypt’s AI transition
#Egypt #digitaleconomy– The World Bank Group has pledged to support Egypt’s digital economy and artificial intelligence ambitions, including broadband expansion and implementation of the country’s second National AI Strategy. Discussions also covered data governance, digital infrastructure, investment, public-private partnerships and AI skills development. (Daily News Egypt)
Policy
Saudi launches national AI risk framework
#Saudi #governance – Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has introduced a national framework for managing AI risks across government and industry. The methodology covers seven risk categories and provides consistent guidance for identifying, assessing, treating and monitoring AI risks as adoption expands. (Middle East AI News)
Startups
Kuadra to launch Egypt construction AI
#Egypt #construction – Kuadra is preparing to launch Egypt’s first unified AI platform for the construction sector. The platform automates tender analysis, procurement and project management, reducing document processing from days to hours, with future expansion planned into the oil and gas industry. (Daily News Egypt)
Orange Jordan launches AI Summer Challenge
#Jordan #startups – Orange Jordan has launched the fifth edition of its Orange Summer Challenge, focused on using artificial intelligence to accelerate business growth. The programme brings together startups, students and graduates to develop AI-powered solutions for Orange services with mentorship from industry experts and global partners. (Petra)
Culture
Saudi culture ministry signs AI MoU with SDAIA
#Saudi #digitalttansformation – Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Development Fund and SDAIA have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore AI programmes across the Kingdom’s 16 recognised cultural sectors. The partnership will support policy development, governance and AI adoption for creators and cultural enterprises. (Middle East AI News)
Agriculture
Saudi mango farm halves water use with AI
#Saudi #agritech – Haswah Mango Farm in Saudi Arabia has reduced irrigation water consumption by around 50% using AI-powered monitoring of soil moisture, water quality and crop health. The smart agriculture system also increased production by at least 40% during the 2026 season. (Arab News)
Sport
Amplifai launches AI thermal tool for athletes
#Saudi #healthtech – Saudi-based Amplifai Health has launched NUR, an AI-powered thermal imaging platform that helps athletes monitor recovery, readiness and return-to-play decisions. The technology builds on the company’s clinically validated thermal AI platform, with early deployment now underway among sports clinics, teams and universities. (Middle East AI News)
Awards
UAE opens National AI Award entries
#UAE #agenticAI – Applications are now open for the third UAE National AI Award, introducing a new focus on Agentic AI. The awards spans five categories covering government services, research, leadership and partnerships, supporting the country’s goal of deploying Agentic AI across half of government. (Middle East AI News)
Sharjah adds AI focus to 2026 awards
#UAE #communications – The Sharjah Government Communication Award has introduced new AI-focused categories and evaluation criteria for its 2026 programme. The initiative aims to encourage responsible, measurable use of AI in public communication and recognise innovation across the communications sector. (WAM)
Media
Dubai Media launches Media X programme
#UAE #digitaltransformation – Dubai Media has unveiled Media X, an AI transformation programme embedding AI across content creation, production and business operations. The initiative includes an AI Accelerator to train employees while building a next-generation AI-powered media ecosystem. (Emirates 24/7)
[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]