Abu Dhabi allocates $3.5bn for digital strategy

21 January 2025

Abu Dhabi will deploy AED13bn ($3.5bn) for a three-year digital strategy to make it the first government globally to fully integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its digital services by 2027.

Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, approved the Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy 2025-27 during the council's first meeting in 2025.

The approval of the strategy and budget marks a "significant milestone in the emirate’s journey towards digital transformation and positioning Abu Dhabi as a global leader in leveraging [AI]", Emirates News Agency (Wam) reported.

The strategy includes achieving 100% adoption of sovereign cloud computing for government operations and digitising and automating 100% of processes to streamline procedures, enhance productivity and improve operational efficiency.

The strategy is projected to contribute AED24bn to Abu Dhabi’s GDP by 2027 while creating more than 5,000 jobs to support emiratisation efforts.

It also aims to transform the customer experience ecosystem and elevate the delivery of government services, improving the quality of life for citizens and residents.

The strategy "seeks to accelerate economic development by creating an integrated environment that attracts global investment and leading companies, generates employment opportunities and enhances government efficiency by reducing operational costs through AI-driven innovation".

It is the latest milestone for Abu Dhabi, which is home to G42, an AI firm backed by sovereign wealth fund Mubadala and US-based investment firm Silver Lake and technology giant Microsoft.

Earlier this month, the state utility Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) signed a power-purchase agreement with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to develop a 5,200MW solar farm backed by a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) battery energy storage system to deliver round-the-clock solar capacity of 1,000MW.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said on 14 January that the Masdar project is an important milestone in the UAE’s journey towards net zero, and “will help power advancements in AI and emerging technologies, supporting the delivery of the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 and the Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative”.

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Photo credit: WAM

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Jennifer Aguinaldo
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