Newsletter: FutureVerse Gulf espionage fears rattle Silicon Valley Abdulrahman Alfozan’s arrest last week drew immediate attention to the 35-year-old engineer’s connections to the Saudi government and elite circles. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse Gulf tech ambitions face Trump-Xi test Gulf tech powers have plenty at stake as Xi and Trump discuss US-China AI competition. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse Middle East confronts AI risks In the Middle East, governments are pouring billions into AI ambitions as Anthropic’s own Claude chatbot comes under scrutiny for creating national security risks. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse China holds its ground in Middle East AI race Last Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Egypt for the first time in a decade, with the trip coinciding with efforts by Beijing to expand its AI footprint in the country. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse LEAP’s comeback By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse Economic D-day’s tech risks By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Senator calls for investigation into Saudi Twitter ownership Saudi Prince Alwaleed is the second-largest stakeholder in Elon Musk's Twitter, which has earned him criticism from Sen. Murphy. But the prince’s investment in the company is not new. Legacy: Gulf
Egypt plans to launch first satellite to monitor climate change in Africa In the lead-up to the COP27 scheduled to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh in November and in partnership with China, Egypt plans to launch its first satellite specialized in the monitoring of climate changes in Africa. Egypt
Report: Turkey has highest cryptocurrency interest in Middle East CryptoManiaks also found a relatively high amount of crypto-related Google searches in Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey
Qatar signs deal with Google Cloud Qatar is seeking to digitize its economy and government, while Google Cloud wants to expand in the Middle East. Legacy: Gulf
Saudi Aramco launches sustainability fund The more than $1 billion new Saudi fund will invest in hydrogen, ammonia and other alternative fuels to oil. Legacy: Gulf
Israel announces metaverse embassy in South Korea The UAE also recently launched offices in the digital world. Israel
Residents in Israel warn against wave of server farm construction With Google and Amazon winning the tender for a Cloud region in Israel, more data centers will be coming, but some residents have concerns about the environment and quality of life. Israel
Dubai-based crypto firm to offer payment card The partnership between BitOasis and Mastercard could make cryptocurrencies more usable for daily purchases. Legacy: Gulf
Saudi company to develop green hydrogen in South Africa The kingdom has shown a particularly strong interest in both South Africa and green hydrogen in general this year. Legacy: Gulf
Animal-free dairy plant to open in UAE The United Arab Emirates is getting its first vegan dairy production facility as demand for non-animal-based products rises in the Gulf. United Arab Emirates
Israel gets Google Cloud region Cities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia will also soon gain access to the service, which provides advanced cloud computing. Israel
Israel moves to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions Ahead of the COP27 climate summit in Egypt next month, the Israeli government is focused on reducing greenhouse emissions within the industrial sector. Israel