News

Abu Dhabi’s TII Rolls Out Fiber Laser For Surgery And Industry

TII’s new 2µm fiber laser is built for surgical precision and industrial processing, with German MedTech backing clinical rollout.

Published

11 months ago

October 1, 2025

Nour Nasir

abu dhabi's tii rolls out fiber laser for surgery and industry

Abu Dhabi Technology Innovation Institute

Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute has introduced a two-micrometer high-power fiber laser built to sharpen the precision of surgical work and industrial processing.

Developed at the institute’s Directed Energy Research Center, the Thulium-based system is compact and energy-efficient. Its wavelength interacts cleanly with water-rich materials, allowing surgeons to cut with control and manufacturers to handle delicate substrates without excess damage.

In medicine, early evaluations point to use in urinary stone removal, prostate surgery, and advanced urology devices. Beyond hospitals, the same wavelength can be applied to cutting and welding in water-rich industrial materials where precision and safety are critical.

To move it into clinics, TII has partnered with LIMA Photonics, a German startup specializing in medical device design, regulatory compliance, and commercialization. The partnership links Abu Dhabi’s research base with Europe’s medical technology market.

“At TII, we’re developing high-performance laser systems designed for real-world impact,” said Dr. Felix Vega, Chief Researcher at the Directed Energy Research Center. “Our 2 µm fiber laser showcases this approach — offering capabilities with strong potential in surgical and industrial settings”.

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Dr. Samir Lamrini, CEO at LIMA Photonics, also commented, adding: “We are deeply impressed by the laser research demonstrated at TII and look forward to a strong partnership that we will establish in a synergistic and complementary spirit. The performance, multiple operating modes, and the system architecture of the laser are an ideal asset for clinical applications”.

The collaboration also reflects Abu Dhabi’s aim to convert advanced research into usable products, a core part of the UAE’s innovation strategy. By drawing international partners into its programs, the institute is reinforcing the emirate’s push to position itself as a regional anchor for high-tech industries under Vision 2030.

News

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”.

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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.