Saudi Arabia deploys region’s first industrial quantum computer: What to know The announcement significantly boosts Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy away from oil by the end of the decade. Saudi Arabia
UAE showcases global AI ambitions with $1B Africa pledge at G20 The Gulf country is the world's top investor in Africa, with Emirati companies committing $100 billion to projects on the continent between 2019 and 2023, according to data from the Financial Times. United Arab Emirates
Feature Saudi Arabia leans on AI for real estate growth as gigaprojects slow The kingdom is increasingly announcing projects merging AI and real estate to cut costs while building smarter, data-driven, and more sustainable infrastructure. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Gulf AI ambitions get boost with US approval of advanced chip exports Washington has been cautious about sending sensitive advanced microchips to Middle East countries with close ties to China, fearing that the technology could end up in Beijing’s hands. Saudi Arabia
Interview Al-Futtaim targets 2026 UAE rollout for game-changer ultrafast EV charging Lucas Bellieud Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Managing Director
UAE center unveils Falcon LLM, 'better, faster' ChatGPT rival The model claims to use only 75 percent of GPT-3’s training compute time, and 40 and 80 percent of DeepMind’s Chinchilla NLP and Google’s PaLM-62B compute times, respectively. Legacy: Gulf
UAE unblocks several Qatar news sites as ties between two nations warm Several Qatari-owned news websites had been inaccessible to UAE residents since relations worsened in 2016 over Doha's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, but at least four are now unblocked. Legacy: Gulf
Turkey fines Elon Musk over Twitter purchase The decision follows the implementation of a controversial social media law in Turkey that prompted Twitter to open an office in the country. Turkey
UAE sends second astronaut to space on longest Arab mission Sultan Saif AlNeyadi will collaborate with NASA and other international space agencies to conduct 19 scientific studies in a wide array of fields. Legacy: Gulf
UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain sign 12 industrial agreements worth $2 billion The third Higher Committee Meeting of the Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development wrapped up in Amman with 12 new agreements on industrial projects. Legacy: Gulf
New rail network on track to bring billions into UAE economy The railway will serve the UAE’s sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions in the road transportation sector. Legacy: Gulf
UAE's IDEX weapons fair brings in Russia, China, and billion-dollar deals The United Arab Emirates’ defense expenditure amounted to $22.5 billion last year and is expected to reach $28.6 billion by 2027. Legacy: Gulf
Analysis Ukraine war at year 1: Has Gulf's neutrality on Russia invasion paid off? Gulf countries — mainly the United Arab Emirates, then Qatar — as well as Turkey have been major recipients of Russian real estate investment in addition to direct financial injections. By Salim A. Essaid
Saudi Arabia plans for ‘world’s largest downtown’ in Riyadh The project's centerpiece, a 400-meter cube, will feature both traditional Arabic design elements and futuristic technology. Legacy: Gulf
How Israel’s HevenDrones latest hydrogen-powered drone can help UAE The lightweight aerial vehicle for defense or commercial use is the latest fruit of diplomatic normalization between the two countries, and will be featured at IDEX next week. Legacy: Gulf
COP-28 head Sultan Al Jaber: UAE ‘running toward’ energy transition As the climate summit president continues to face criticism for his role as head of the UAE's state oil producer, Sultan Al Jaber argued that his position will serve more as an asset than an obstacle to energy transition. Legacy: Gulf
IMF director credits Gulf, India in boosting global economy The World Government Summit highlighted critical issues with the global economy and announced flying taxis in Dubai. Legacy: Gulf
