Saudi, UAE startups join World Economic Forum’s global tech cohort
Saudi Arabia was represented by intella, which develops Arabic-language speech recognition and analytics tools, and Nommas Technologies, which provides AI-powered...
Geostrategy
UN food organization sees global cereal output falling in 2026/27
Dubai, UAE -- Global cereal production is expected to decline by 2% in the 2026/27 season to 2.982 billion tons,...
Economy
Economy
Gold tops $4,000 for first time on political, economic worries
New York, United States - Gold topped $4,000 an ounce for the first time Wednesday as investors flocked to the...
- US and European stock markets rose while Asian equities fell as investors also kept tabs on the AI investment boom and the prospect of further US interest rate cuts this year
- Gold, considered a safe investment in times of uncertainty, reached an all-time high of nearly $4,060 an ounce Wednesday with silver also rising close to a record high
Economy
WTO hikes 2025 trade growth outlook but tariffs to bite in 2026
The WTO raised its forecast for trade volume growth in 2025 to 2.4 percent -- up from 0.9 percent in...
- In an unusual move, the global trade body has revised its estimates several times this year due to uncertainties surrounding the new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
- Since returning to office in January, Trump has slapped several waves of new tariffs on imports entering the United States.
Business
Tech leaders unite to propel future-critical sectors at GITEX GLOBAL 2025
Dubai, UAE: With capabilities of AI advancing every year, its potential to address challenges once thought unsolvable is rapidly expanding,...
- The event brings together the world’s most advanced AI and tech enterprises and leaders from 180 countries, from 13-17 Oct at Dubai World Trade Centre.
- Expand North Star celebrates its 10th edition from 12-15 October at Dubai Harbour.
Business
OpenAI signs multi-billion dollar chip deal with AMD
OpenAI signed a multi-year partnership Monday with chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices as the ChatGPT-maker continues an investment spree to secure...
- The companies announced the plan to develop AI data centers that the chipmaker said would bring in tens of billions of dollars in new revenue over the next five years
- AMD's share price surged 35 percent when markets opened on news of the agreement that would see the company deliver six gigawatts worth of chips to the ChatGPT-maker
Economy
China’s chip challenge: the race to match US tech
Beijing, China - China's push to develop top-end artificial intelligence microchips is gaining momentum, but analysts say it will struggle...
- Ramping up its chip industry is a way for Beijing to beat restrictions imposed by Washington on exports of the most advanced chips -used to power AI systems
- The United States cites national security concerns, such as the risk of giving China a military advantage, for the block, a geopolitical bind that shows no sign of easing
Economy
Vietnam defies US tariffs with 8.2% growth in third quarter
Hanoi, Vietnam -- Vietnam recorded economic growth of 8.2 percent in the third quarter, among the highest increases in more...
- Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang said the figure -- excluding the surge in 2022 driven by a post-Covid recovery -- was "the highest quarterly growth since 2011".
- The Southeast Asian manufacturing hub achieved growth of 7.96 percent in the second quarter.
Economy
AI in an ‘industrial bubble’ but will benefit society: Bezos
Turin, Italy - Artificial intelligence technology is in an "industrial bubble," Amazon founder Jeff Bezos told a tech conference in...
- "Investors don't usually give a team of six people a couple billion dollars with no product... and that's happening today," Bezos told an audience at Tech Week in Turin
- Multiple technologies are in a kind of "golden age," he said, echoing language used by US President Donald Trump. "There's never been a better time to be excited about the future."
Economy
Abu Dhabi GDP grows 3.8% to $83.40bn in Q2 as non-oil sectors hit record
The non-oil economy expanded 6.6 percent year-on-year to AED174.1 billion — the highest quarterly value on record — and accounted...
- Manufacturing remained the largest non-oil contributor at AED30.1 billion, accounting for 9.8 percent of total GDP.
- Finance and insurance activities expanded 10.3 percent to a record AED21.8 billion, reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s position as a regional and global financial center.
Business
Amazon adds AI muscle to connected home lineup
New York, United States - Amazon on Tuesday unveiled the latest generation of connected products, featuring enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities...
- Nearly 20 years after the launch of the Kindle e-reader, the Seattle-based online retail giant now offers a family of connected devices
- The company has already made a major move into AI enhancements with the February launch of Alexa+, an upgraded version of the Alexa voice assistant
Geostrategy
Microsoft trims service to Israel over Gaza surveillance
San Francisco, United States - Microsoft on Thursday said it cut an Israeli defense unit's access to some cloud services...
- Microsoft reviewed the decision with the Israel Ministry of Defense along with steps the tech firm is taking to ensure compliance
- The move followed a two-month Microsoft probe into a Guardian report that the Israeli Defense Force used Azure to store phone call data from surveillance in Gaza and the West Bank
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Saudi, UAE startups join World Economic Forum’s global tech cohort
Saudi Arabia was represented by intella, which develops Arabic-language speech recognition and analytics tools, and Nommas Technologies, which provides AI-powered...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Battle of the Tech Hubs
Economy
Why the GCC should stop trying to build Silicon Valley and focus on owning it
Fahad AlSharekh says the GCC’s edge isn’t startup mimicry but global investment power — backing AI, infrastructure and category leaders...
UAE launches first 7-year Islamic Treasury Sukuk worth $150 million
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The UAE Ministry of Finance said on Sunday it had launched its first-ever seven-year tranche of...
Business
GCC as the bridge in a fragmented global ad tech market
S4 Capital founder Martin Sorrell tells TRENDS digital dominance, AI disruption and consolidation are reshaping global advertising, urging agile, tech-first...
Most Read
Interview
UAE is shifting from attracting talent to unleashing it: Sheraa vice-chairperson
With national campaigns such as The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World setting targets of training 10,000 Emiratis and...
- The most significant opportunity lies in closing the conversion gap: the space between generating knowledge and turning it into scalable enterprises.
- More than 18,000 young people have been upskilled through Sheraa, giving them the confidence and competence to navigate a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Economy
Sovereign tech: Building a regional stack, not rival silos
As Gulf states race to build sovereign AI and cloud infrastructure, the real opportunity lies in pooling capital, standards and...
- Technical and compliance challenges are pushing GCC countries toward common governance constructs and vendor frameworks
- To boost talent mobility, GCC SWFs can underwrite regional AI academies, and visa standardization for tech talent
Interview
Gulf startup hubs: Converging strategies, diverging ambitions
Despite fierce branding as rivals, Gulf startup hubs share capital, policy, and talent structures that are quietly shaping distinct, globally...
- Shared infrastructure, capital flows, and policy choices bind these ecosystems together more than they divide them.
- The critical question for Gulf ecosystems is not whether they have capital or talent, but whether both are organized toward genuinely global ambition.