Dubai telecoms operator du has unveiled a dedicated artificial intelligence zone that aims to bring local and international entities under one roof to help develop the UAE's AI ecosystem, its chief executive has said.
Du formally launched the AI Park, which will provide infrastructure support for local AI-centric entities as well as attract global AI companies, at this week's annual Gitex technology conference in Dubai.
The move is part of the company's AI strategy that underpins its “understanding of regional market dynamics and national ambitions”, Fahad Al Hassawi told The National in an interview ahead of Gitex, Dubai's annual week-long global technology showcase.
The 500,000 square metre AI Park in the Warsan area of Dubai will feature multiple liquid-cooled hyperscale data centres delivering up to one gigawatt of capacity over a period of time, enabling the most demanding AI workloads, the company said in a statement on Monday.
Beyond infrastructure, the park is designed to host AI research laboratories, start-up incubators, and a sovereign hybrid AI production and compute cluster, ensuring innovators can prototype, scale and roll out AI solutions securely within the UAE.
The master planning for du’s AI Park has already begun and the development will be phased in over five years with launches that will focus on bringing research, incubation and hyperscale computing to life.
“The market reality [now is] that enterprises and governments have evolved beyond wanting future AI possibilities – they now demand partners who deliver operational AI reality today,” Mr Al Hassawi said.
Global partnerships
Du has established partnerships with network companies Nokia and Cisco, global software bellwethers Microsoft, Oracle, Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Amazon Web Services, as well as AI chip leader Nvidia for a range of services across AI, the cloud, machine learning and other new-age technologies.
“These strategic partnerships serve a dual purpose: accelerating AI innovation and maintaining the highest standards of operational excellence that enterprises and governments demand,” Mr Al Hassawi said.
Du will also open an innovation centre and increase its role in the development of Dubai Silicon Park as part of the UAE's smart city initiatives, underlining the transforming role of telecom providers in today's digital economy, he said.
“The evolving role of telecommunications companies in the economy reflects broader shifts towards digital-first business models and AI-driven operations across all sectors,” Mr Al Hassawi said.
“The telecommunications industry is undergoing a transformation, with [telecom operators] deliberately shifting from traditional connectivity providers to ecosystem enablers that drive broader economic development and digital innovation.”
Aggressive expansion
Du – formally the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company – has been expanding its services amid the AI boom amid increased consumer demand for more smart services in the digital age.
The company is seeking aggressive expansion and has boosted its operations and services over the past year as market dynamics have changed with emerging technologies, including AI, the cloud and big data.
Last month, du launched its upgraded 5G+ network, which its chief commercial officer Karim Benkirane said would help drive the UAE's smart city ambitions and boost innovation among start-ups.
At its Envision conference in September, the company said it was expecting the GPUs-as-a-service market to gain traction in the UAE. Companies are looking for more cost-effective ways to integrate AI capabilities into their operations, its chief information and communications technology officer Jasim Al Awadi told The National at the time.
A year ago, du unveiled du Tech and du Infra, after introducing du Pay, in a major shake-up of its business-to-business operations aimed at addressing growing demand for digital transformation services in the UAE.
“The shift in market demand has been particularly significant, with enterprises and governments moving decisively beyond conceptual discussions to actively seeking partners who transform AI concepts into operational reality today,” Mr Al Hassawi said.
Also last month, du completed its secondary public offering that raised about Dh3.15 billion ($858 million), amid strong investor interest.
That share sale boosted the company's free float to 27.5 per cent and was an opportunity for investors to further diversify into defensive stocks, its chief financial officer Kais Ben Hamida had told The National.
