An ORF Middle East study highlights critical supply chain, cooling, and power challenges facing Gulf artificial intelligence data centres. The analysis notes that China controls 60 to 70 percent of semiconductor rare earth element mining and 90 percent of processing capacity. It also reports that clean energy comprised 32.4 percent of the UAE's installed power capacity as of September 2026.
China is increasingly integrating its new quality productive forces framework into Gulf diversification programs, spanning renewable energy, AI, and digital networks. Gulf sovereign wealth funds and technology firms are adjusting their investment strategies amid mounting U.S.-China technological competition and regional risks. Meanwhile, Chinese firms are expanding industrial footprints in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman.
A 2026 breakdown by immigration research platform Passportivity, reported by The Economic Times, highlights the UAE among the top global destinations for investor and entrepreneurial residency. The report details the UAE's 10-year Golden Visa pathway, which requires a property investment of AED 2,000,000 without demanding continuous physical presence. The study notes that optimal residency programs depend on specific objectives, comparing the UAE with European and American alternatives.
The International Monetary Fund warned that corporate income tax policies generate cross-border spillovers through profit shifting, investment reallocation, and knowledge transfers. According to an analytical chapter of its October 2026 World Economic Outlook, debt-financed tax cuts raise global interest rates and crowd out investment abroad. The fund also found that a one percentage point corporate tax rate hike relative to foreign rates leads to a cumulative 0.5 percent of GDP drop in FDI inflows over three years.
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