e& enterprise and Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, Hub71, have unveiled the region’s first Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence (AI CoE).
The AI CoE will provide a platform for AI solutions to be built and scaled from Abu Dhabi. The Centre will support partnerships and collaborations between businesses, governments, investors and startups, enabling them to create a smarter, safer, and more sustainable world through the co-creation of industry-specific and use case-driven AI solutions.
“The region’s first AI Center of Excellence at Hub71 will provide a robust ecosystem for innovative technology ideas to grow and scale, and will allow startups to benefit from Hub71’s community, programmes and knowledge sharing platforms,” said Badr Al-Olama, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Hub71.
Al-Olama also highlighted how AI could unlock $5.5 trillion to $12.6 trillion in value globally by 2030 and offer immense potential in sectors that are of strategic importance to Abu Dhabi’s socio-economic growth. He further noted that Hub71 is “committed to further developing technologies that act as a catalyst in progressing a dynamic and diversified economy.”
He added, “e& enterprise shares our vision to accelerate the digital transformation that is disrupting new ways of addressing challenges. We look forward to this partnership in promoting AI solutions across Abu Dhabi, with the aim of eventually being deployed globally.”
As the UAE’s first dedicated hub to AI, the e& enterprise AI Centre of Excellence will support solidifying Abu Dhabi’s leadership in AI innovation and adoption by creating a robust ecosystem of talent and partners by connecting startups, companies, and investment firms, as well as develop and scale cutting-edge AI solutions.
By offering resources and expertise, the AI CoE will transform the future of AI, support a thriving innovation ecosystem, foster local talent, and boost the country’s socio-economic growth.
Salvador Anglada, Chief Executive Officer, e& enterprise, said, “The AI Center of Excellence, supported by our strategic partner DataRobot, will further progress our vision to be the leading digital enabler for our enterprise and government clients as we empower them to become data-driven and highly automated organisations. We look forward to driving the digital transformation conversation by leveraging the expertise of disruptive scale-ups and AI companies while establishing long-term partnerships with major accelerators and technology providers regionally and globally.”
Recently, e& enterprise entered a strategic three-year alliance with DataRobot, a global AI platform provider to launch the first AI as-a-Service (AlaaS) offering in the MENAP region. According to the company, the move will accelerate the successful adoption of AI in organisations, ensure continuous capability building, deliver robust AIaaS offerings and guarantee value creation by overseeing the implementation of enterprise-wide AI projects.
In addition to such global partnerships in AI, e& enterprise is set to build new ventures and incubate pioneering business models at the AI Centre of Excellence. Scale-ups that participate in its innovation-led programmes, such as FutureNow, will also gain fast-track access to participate in Hub71’s value-add programmes. In addition, startups will benefit from Hub71’s vibrant community and growing capital ecosystem of VCs with assets under management of $1.72 billion.
Startups can apply to join the AI CoE through Hub71’s flexible menu of incentives and The Outliers, a Hub71 programme that also includes e& enterprise as a partner, designed to solve challenges that corporates and government face by providing innovative solutions ideated by startups.
