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Abu Dhabi AI Company Aims To Create Global Tech Hub

Backed by the Advanced Technology Research Council, AI71 seeks to democratize access to AI using the UAE’s Falcon large language model.

Published

3 years ago

November 29, 2023

Nour Nasir

abu dhabi ai company aims to create global tech hub

Emirates News Agency

Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council has launched a new artificial intelligence company known as AI71 in a bid to become a global hub for the emerging technology.

The new entity will democratize access to AI and is built using the Falcon large language model developed by the research council’s Technology Innovation Institute.

abu dhabi ai71 launch event

AI71 will soon be taken to market by commercialization arm VentureOne and was formally launched by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

abu dhabi ai71 launch event promo

The company is designed to cater to medical, legal, education, and government fields, with “many others” to come, according to Faisal Al Bannai, secretary general of the council:

“By creating AI71, [the company] becomes a major part of driving AI use across multiple sectors. So, it increases our efficiency and ability to be much more productive and competitive globally. We will not be shy in our objectives. We will not be humble in our goals. We are determined to be a key player in shaping where AI is going globally. AI71 will play a pivotal role in this journey”.

Also Read: How (And Why) To Start A Tech Business In Dubai

AI71 has already signed an agreement with the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Omar Al Olama, and local start-up ecosystem Hub71. Meanwhile, the company will join forces with major global corporations, including Amazon Web Services, PwC, World Wide Technology, and CNTXT.

Generative AI holds enormous economic potential. As investments in the sector continue to grow, Gulf countries are expected to generate $23.5 billion by 2030. The UAE has already made great strides in AI after recently unveiling the world’s largest Arabic natural language model.

Related Topics:Abu Dhabi Artificial Intelligence United Arab Emirates

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Samsung And Spotify Offer Free Premium Deal In MENA

Nearly seven in ten streams in the region come from 18-to-34-year-olds — the audience Samsung is hoping to entice into its ecosystem.

Published

7 days ago

August 7, 2026

Nour Nasir

Samsung

Samsung has announced a partnership with Spotify spanning the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye, bundling Spotify Premium with select devices across its ecosystem. The headline offer — up to four months of Premium for free — is a first for the region.

Customers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Türkiye who buy any OLED or 98-inch television, or any Galaxy S or Z series mobile device, get four months of Spotify Premium. The offer, tiered by market and device, is available at retail and on Samsung.com, and redeemed through the Samsung Promotion and Samsung Members apps.

For Samsung, the strategy is less about free music than about lock-in. The Korean tech giant’s pitch is continuity: a track starts on a Galaxy smartphone through Galaxy Buds on the commute, moves to a Samsung TV and soundbar in the living room, and stays controllable from a Galaxy Watch. The more seamlessly music travels between those devices, the harder it becomes to swap any one of them for a rival’s.

“Technology should bring people closer to the things they love, and few things connect people the way music does,” said Omar Saheb, Regional VP of Marketing and Online Business at Samsung Electronics MENA. The partnership, he added, gives customers “a genuine reason to choose Samsung for the experience, not only the product”.

Also Read: Shokz OpenFit Pro Review: Open-Ear Audio Finally Grows Up

For subscribers, Premium brings the usual package: ad-free listening, offline downloads, richer audio quality on Galaxy Buds and Samsung sound devices, and Jam, which lets friends build a shared queue.

“At Spotify, we are always working to make every listening moment feel more personal, meaningful, and worth it,” said Rami Jamal, Head of Partnerships at Spotify for South Asia, Middle East, and Africa.

The demographics go a long way to explaining the strategy. Across MENA, Türkiye, and Pakistan, nearly seven in ten Spotify streams come from listeners aged 18 to 34, according to the company — precisely the audience Samsung wants inside its hardware ecosystem before buying habits harden.