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Dubai Plans 100,000 Square Foot AI & Web 3.0 Campus
The initiative will bring $300 million in investment and create more than 3,000 jobs over the next five years.
On Monday, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) announced plans to create the largest cluster of artificial intelligence companies and tech startups in the MENA region. The initiative will be known as the “Dubai AI & Web 3.0 Campus” and has been given the go-ahead through directives by the First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also acts as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance for the UAE, and President of the DIFC.
Over the next five years, the Dubai AI & Web 3.0 Campus will expand to over 100,000 square feet and become a haven for entrepreneurs, tech disruptors, developers, and anyone passionate about emerging technologies. The campus will be constructed with a world-class digital infrastructure while including R&D facilities, shared workspaces, and giving access to accelerator programs to build and scale AI companies.
Governor of the DIFC, Essa Kazim, was enthusiastic about the recent announcement, noting that: “DIFC’s 2030 strategy is central to shaping the future of finance and innovation. AI is expected to inject Dh103 billion into the UAE economy by 2035 and contribute 14 percent to the country’s GDP by the decade’s end. The Dubai AI & Web 3.0 Campus will significantly contribute to this growth as a global nexus for R&D, investment, and innovation by attracting over $300 million in collective funds, 500+ global AI and Web 3.0 startups, and creating 3000+ jobs by 2028”.
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Investors and government officials hope the new initiative will catalyze local growth, attracting global startups, innovators, and industry leaders to the site and establishing a thriving local tech industry.
By seamlessly integrating physical and virtual infrastructures, the Dubai AI & Web 3.0 Campus could eventually become a preferred headquarters for leading Web 3.0 and AI companies and venture capitalists operating in the MENA region.
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.
