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Abu Dhabi And NVIDIA Launch First Joint AI And Robotics Lab

Based at the Abu Dhabi Technology Innovation Institute, the project is part of the UAE’s drive to expand its global AI research footprint.

Published

1 year ago

September 23, 2025

Nour Nasir

abu dhabi and nvidia launch first joint ai and robotics lab

Abu Dhabi Technology Innovation Institute

Abu Dhabi has partnered with NVIDIA to launch the Middle East’s first joint research lab dedicated to artificial intelligence and robotics.

Based at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the TII-NVAITC Joint Lab for AI and Robotics will accelerate research into humanoid systems, embodied AI models and autonomous platforms with applications across multiple industries.

The agreement was made official by Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO of TII, and Marc Domenech, regional director for NVIDIA Enterprise in the META region, in the presence of senior officials from the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) and NVIDIA executives Simon See and John Josephakis.

“This collaboration with NVIDIA marks a major step toward building AI-enhanced robotic systems capable of reasoning, adapting, and acting in complex environments,” Aaraj said. “We are accelerating the convergence of perception, control, and language as part of efforts to advance intelligent robotics”.

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The partnership gives TII access to NVIDIA’s edge GPU chips and advanced computing platforms, integrated with TII’s own research in AI, robotics and high-performance computing. The institute will also build on its Falcon family of large language models — the largest developed in the Middle East — to support robotics applications.

NVIDIA executive Carlo Ruiz said the initiative extends the global NVAITC network into robotics for the first time in the region. “By working with TII in Abu Dhabi, we are helping researchers and innovators accelerate breakthroughs that will shape the future of intelligent systems,” he said.

UAE’s AI Ambitions

The launch of the joint lab reinforces the UAE’s national AI strategy, announced in 2017, which aims to embed artificial intelligence across sectors such as healthcare, education and logistics. The UAE wants AI to contribute up to 20 percent of non-oil GDP by 2031, with the domestic market projected to grow from Dh12.7 billion in 2023 to over Dh170 billion by 2030 — a compound annual growth rate of 44 percent.

Supporting this vision, the government has introduced Chief AI Officers across ministries, established AI-focused academic institutions, and run international exchange programs. In June, 50 Emirati AI leaders toured the US to meet with Google, Meta, OpenAI and Microsoft.

The TII-NVIDIA lab adds to a growing list of partnerships designed to strengthen the UAE’s role in AI and robotics, both regionally and globally.

Related Topics:Abu Dhabi Artificial Intelligence NVIDIA

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For etisalat, More Bandwidth Is A Matter Of Digital Sovereignty

The etisalat group plans to expand its international capacity from 20 Tbps to more than 500 Tbps by 2030, with new routes designed for speed and resilience.

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2026

Nour Nasir

for etisalat, more bandwidth is a matter of digital sovereignty

Emirates News Agency

By 2030, etisalat group plans to lift its international connectivity capacity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps), more than 25 times the 20 Tbps it has today. The group presented the expansion as preparation for rising AI demand and an important move for the UAE’s digital sovereignty.

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed the launch of the project, which covers the UAE and international markets. Sheikh Mansour is also Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, etisalat group’s main shareholder.

He emphasized the role of coordinated national efforts in advancing the UAE’s AI and digital economy ambitions. “AI is a central pillar in our development journey moving forward,” he said, adding that developing the country’s digital capabilities would empower every institution, public and private, to build and innovate with AI “at the scale the coming decade will demand”.

“This project reflects our conviction that the UAE should not simply adopt AI, but govern it and build with it,” said H.E Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Alzaabi, Chairman of etisalat group. “That requires digital infrastructure at a scale that would prepare us for the future”. He cast greater international connectivity as a strategic answer to the challenges of processing and moving data globally.

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Beyond raw bandwidth, the expansion will introduce new connectivity routes intended to improve reliability and efficiency, and Alzaabi tied them directly to the sovereignty goal. “Delivered through diversified routes and low-latency design, the project is set to keep the country’s connection to the global digital economy fast, direct and resilient, while ensuring the UAE’s digital sovereignty,” he said.

He also linked the plan to the group’s 50-year commitment to building infrastructure for the nation. The announcement didn’t mention what the expansion will cost. Nor did it name the new routes or say who will build them, the details that would show what digital sovereignty means in practice.