Dubai, UAE — Organizations in the United Arab Emirates are moving faster than their global counterparts to adapt technology strategies to a more uncertain geopolitical environment, according to a KPMG report released on Wednesday.
The KPMG UAE Tech Report 2026 found that 54% of UAE organizations plan to hire more onshore technology talent over the next 12 months, compared with a global average of 36%.
The same proportion intends to enhance data sovereignty audits across partner ecosystems as businesses reassess technology supply chains, security arrangements and infrastructure dependencies.
Nearly half of UAE respondents, or 49%, said they plan to reduce reliance on enterprise software licenses by adopting open-source alternatives, compared with 31% globally. Meanwhile, 43% intend to apply stricter geographic scrutiny to cybersecurity suppliers and partners, versus a global average of 35%.
The report found that 41% of UAE organizations plan to reduce technology exposure to adversarial countries, reflecting growing focus on operational resilience and digital sovereignty.
Robert Ptaszynski, partner and head of technology at KPMG Middle East, said organizations in the UAE were treating resilience and innovation as complementary priorities as they respond to a more fragmented global environment.
The survey also highlighted strong resilience and cybersecurity capabilities among UAE organizations. According to the report, 90% rank in the top two resilience tiers globally, while 66% report optimized cybersecurity capabilities, above the global benchmark of 51%.
Governance concerns are also rising. Some 34% of respondents cited AI transparency as a leading future concern, the highest proportion globally, while 32% identified intellectual property risks linked to open-source technologies as a current challenge.
KPMG said the findings suggest UAE organizations are leveraging established digital foundations to strengthen competitiveness as geopolitical and technological risks evolve.
