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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The bid submission deadline for both tenders is 27 April.
Misk Foundation is jointly developing the project in collaboration with local real estate developer Kinan.
The estimated SR900m ($240m) project will span an area of about 121,692 square metres.
In March 2022, the Misk Foundation released the masterplan for Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud said in November 2021 that the Misk Foundation development in Riyadh will be the world’s first non-profit city.
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“It will also feature an arts academy and art gallery, a performing arts theatre, a play area, a cooking academy and an integrated residential complex.
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Saipem wins $400m of Safaniya field work from Aramco17 April 2026
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Italian contractor Saipem has announced winning two offshore engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contracts in Saudi Arabia, worth approximately $400m, which represent Saudi Aramco’s next expansion phase of the Safaniya offshore oil field development.
MEED recently reported that Aramco had selected Saipem for the two contracts – numbers 154 and 155 on its Contract Release and Purchase Order (CRPO) system.
Fabrication activities for the two contracts will be executed at Saipem’s Saudi fabrication yard in Dammam, Saipem Taqa Al-Rushaid Fabricators Company, the Milan-listed company said in its statement.
Prior to winning the contracts for CRPOs 154 and 155, Saipem also secured the contract for CRPO 156, valued at about $500m, which forms the third package in Aramco’s latest Safaniya expansion phase.
Aramco issued the three CRPOs to its Long-Term Agreement (LTA) pool of offshore contractors in February last year, with an initial bid submission deadline of 31 July. Aramco later extended the deadline to 28 August and then again to 31 August, with LTA contractors submitting bids on that date.
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CRPO 154:
EPCI of a water injection tie-in platform; two production deck modules (PDMs)/wellhead platforms; approximately 5 kilometres (km) of associated pipeline, with diameters of 24 inches, and approximately 15km of 15kV cables at Safaniya; hook-ups; and subsea valve skids.
CRPO 155:
EPCI of four PDMs; intra-field and main trunklines to shore; and jackets.
CRPO 156:
EPCI of a 48-inch trunkline, covering a distance of about 65km offshore and 12km onshore, from the Safaniya offshore oil field to the onshore processing facility; and associated structures such as subsea hook-ups.
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