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Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

David Rosenberg

In Tel Aviv, reporting on business and tech

TOPSHOT - People queue to visit statues of Pokemon characters displayed outside the Lotte World Tower in Seoul on April 26, 2024. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP) (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi group buys 'Pokemon Go' for $3.5 Billion: What we know

Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars on video games in recent years, but profitability remains a challenge in the adjacent esports industry.

Digital generated image of abstract AI chat icons over digital surface.

AL-Monitor FutureVerse: AI superpowers clash

An exclusive sneak peek of an interview with a top Saudi tech diplomat who is helping shape the future of AI collaboration among emerging economies.

Saudi digital economy expert Deemah Al-Yahya speaks onstage during the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit at Sheraton New York Times Square, New York, Sept. 24, 2024.

Interview

As AI superpowers clash, Saudi tech diplomat pushes collaboration over competition

Deemah AlYahya

Secretary General, Digital Cooperation Organization

An unidentified man speaks at the preliminary meeting for the fourth edition of the LEAP technology conference, set for Feb. 9-12, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Billions invested in AI, data centers at Saudi's LEAP summit: What to know

The four-day event saw billions of dollars worth of investment poured into artificial intelligence projects — many of them in Saudi Arabia.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

Amid DeepSeek competition, Altman visits UAE seeking OpenAI investment

Gulf investors are betting big on AI, with sovereign wealth funds in the UAE and Saudi Arabia making the booming tech sector a core component of their portfolios.

United Arab Emirates

A visitor views Hunter 2-S unmanned aerial systems (UAS) "swarming drones" by EDGE advanced technology group for defense on display at the UMEX Exhibition showcasing drones, robotics, and unmanned systems at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in the gulf emirate on Feb. 22, 2022.

UAE’s Edge Group acquires 30% stake in Israeli drone tech firm

The acquisition of a 30% stake in ThirdEye is the latest example of cooperation between Israel and the UAE.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

China’s DeepSeek triumph sparks billion-dollar AI dilemmas for Gulf investors

Middle Eastern countries could benefit from new cost-effective AI systems such as those created by DeepSeek in lieu of US AI companies.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

This studio photographic illustration shows a smartphone with the website of Israel's NSO Group that features Pegasus spyware, on display in Paris, France, July 21, 2021.

What to make of US group acquisition of Israeli spyware firm Paragon as Trump returns

ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images

Russia launches two Iranian satellites into orbit as ties grow

The launch from Russia is the latest sign of the growing ties between Tehran and Moscow in a range of sectors.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi's PIF downsizes foreign investment, turns to AI, domestic priorities

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is looking to invest in tourism, real estate and sustainability as its Vision 2030 deadline draws closer.

US President Joe Biden and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walk to the Oval Office for a meeting, where the two discussed AI and ending the war in Gaza on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington.

Analysis

How new US AI framework could impact UAE, Saudi ambitions

The framework comes as the UAE has deepened its AI ties with the United States in recent months over a series of visits to Washington by senior Emirati officials.

Samuel Wendel

By Jack Dutton , Samuel Wendel

An Emirati man walks in front of the stand of Masdar City at the World Future Energy Summit exhibition in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 18, 2012.

Masdar acquisition of Terra-Gen stake builds on UAE-US renewable energy ties

The UAE and the US launched a renewable energy partnership in 2022 with the view of deploying 100 GW of clean energy globally by 2035.

United Arab Emirates