Sheikh Rashid Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, Chairman of RAM Investment, announced a partnership with Merantix, Europe’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) venture capital studio and ecosystem, to conceptualize Dubai AI City, a proposed free zone that will pioneer Develop, implement and scale impactful AI solutions.
AI City will be a global hub for AI, powered by smart city infrastructure, connecting AI research institutes and talent with leading local and global start-ups, corporates and investors. The program will work closely with universities to attract, train and advance talent.
By establishing a free zone, a regulatory sandbox environment will be created that will host world-leading computing infrastructure (HPC clusters) and data centers, which will allow rapid stress testing of revolutionary and safety-critical AI concepts at scale . It will host innovation labs, research institutes and collaborative communities for all stakeholders to connect and collaborate, and will be open to the public to raise awareness and demonstrate the positive impact of AI.
Merantix, Europe’s leading AI venture capital studio and ecosystem, incubates and invests in AI-first companies through its solution provider “Merantix Momentum”, builds solutions and conducts leading AI research, and establishes Europe’s largest physical AI Community Center Merantix AI Berlin Campus.
Co-founder Dr. Rasmus Rothe is also a founding board member of the German Association for Artificial Intelligence and is involved in the development and implementation of a national AI strategy through ongoing cooperation with German and European regulators on the EU AI Law. By bringing together all relevant stakeholders Gathered together, Merantix was the perfect partner for this visionary project. The AI City will also strengthen ties and cooperation between the UAE, Germany and Europe in AI.
Sheikh Rashid said: “AI City will not only be a catalyst for great new products and solutions to global problems to be built in Dubai, but it will also be a great place to bring AI closer to our society. Through AI City, we hope to make this technology more Easily accessible, improving public understanding of AI and getting more people involved.”
AI City will be a key component and enabler of the UAE’s 2031 Artificial Intelligence Strategy. By replicating the proven model of Dubai Free Zones, the project will accelerate Dubai’s trajectory to become a global leader in AI and strengthen Dubai’s position as a leading hub for attracting top talent and global investment. AI City will be a key lever to stress test impact-driven AI initiatives and accelerate positive and ethical AI adoption across industries in the UAE and globally at a time when governments around the world are developing regulatory frameworks to drive AI adoption.
Dr. Rasmus Rothe said: “With AI City, we can build a strong bridge between Germany and Europe and the UAE. We need more collaboration to really drive the adoption of AI, because only by getting all stakeholders working together can we to bridge the gap between research and practice. I look forward to establishing a global beacon of artificial intelligence in Dubai.” – trade arab news agency