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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.
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.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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