Software, telecommunications and digital infrastructure
The ADIPEC 2026 conference in Abu Dhabi concluded with over 50,000 commercial agreements valued at roughly US$67 billion, a 26.4% year-on-year rise. Hosted by ADNOC, the event featured prominent international participation from China, the United States, and Italy.
Abu Dhabi's Masdar City Free Zone plans to open its fourth China office in Beijing as it currently registers six to seven Chinese firms monthly. Chinese enterprises are increasingly establishing operations, research facilities, and tailored products in the UAE.
The Abu Dhabi Residents Office has outlined eligibility criteria and an international university list for its 10-year Golden Visa for outstanding graduates. Applicants from overseas institutions must hold an accredited bachelor's degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 obtained within the past two years. The official document features 100 numbered entries covering 98 unique global universities.
Major US technology companies have pledged roughly USD 40 billion to Gulf artificial intelligence projects, securing dominant partnerships with UAE's G42 and Saudi Arabia's Humain. However, Chinese companies retain deep infrastructural ties across the Middle East, including local Huawei cloud regions in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt alongside USD 1 billion in publicized AI commitments. Regional players are actively hedging their bets to avoid total reliance on any single technology supplier.
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