ICT

Abu Dhabi’s ICT sector saw further growth in 2019, driven by major public investment in the digitisation of services for residents and businesses. The emirate and the wider UAE continue to lead the way regionally in rolling out 5G technology, with the UAE’s two national telecoms companies making significant investments in network expansion and upgrades. The emirate is also consolidating its position as a leading centre for research and development in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud services, and the emerging start-up sector is playing an active role. Recently, the emirate’s digital drive has been accelerated by the global outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020, which caused businesses, educational institutions and government entities to offer remote services after travel restrictions were imposed. This chapter contains an interview with Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence.