e& enterprise, part of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group), and Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, have launched the region’s first AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE). The AI center aims to pursue partnerships and collaborations with businesses, governments, investors, and startups to create a smarter, safer, and more sustainable world through the co-creation of industry-specific and use case-driven AI solutions.
The AI CoE will provide a platform for AI solutions to be built and scaled from Abu Dhabi.
Salvador Anglada, Chief Executive Officer, e& enterprise, said, “It is our responsibility to support communities and cities in adapting to a brighter, digital tomorrow. We do that through innovative programs such as FutureNow, which has already yielded several fruitful collaborations, sustainable partnerships, and commercial adoption of innovative solutions. The AI Center of Excellence, supported by our strategic partner DataRobot, will further progress our vision to be the leading digital enabler for our enterprise and government clients as we empower them to become data-driven and highly automated organizations. We look forward to driving the digital transformation conversation by leveraging the expertise of disruptive scale-ups and AI companies while establishing long-term partnerships with major accelerators and technology providers regionally and globally.”
As the UAE’s first dedicated hub to AI, the e& enterprise AI Centre of Excellence will support solidifying Abu Dhabi’s leadership in AI innovation and adoption by creating a robust ecosystem of talent and partners by connecting startups, companies, and investment firms, as well as develop and scale cutting-edge AI solutions. By offering best-in-class resources and expertise, the AI CoE will transform the future of AI, support a thriving innovation ecosystem, foster local talent, and boost the country’s socio-economic growth.
Just recently, e& enterprise entered a strategic three-year alliance with DataRobot, a global AI platform provider to launch the first AI as a Service (AlaaS) offering in the MENAP region. This will accelerate the successful adoption of AI in organizations, ensure continuous capability building, deliver robust AIaaS offerings and guarantee value creation by overseeing the implementation of enterprise-wide AI projects. DataRobot is one of the most widely deployed and proven AI platforms in the market today, delivering over a trillion predictions for leading companies around the world, including a third of the Fortune 50. The DataRobot AI Cloud platform brings together disparate data and users, from expert data scientists to IT operators to business analysts, to enable AI-driven insights at speed and scale.
In addition to such global partnerships in AI, e& enterprise is set to build new ventures and incubate pioneering business models at the AI Centre of Excellence. Scale-ups that participate in its innovation-led programs, such as FutureNow, will also gain fast-track access to participate in Hub71’s value-add programs.
In addition, startups will benefit from Hub71’s vibrant community and growing capital ecosystem of VCs with assets under management of $1.72 billion.
Startups can apply to join the AI CoE through Hub71’s flexible menu of incentives and The Outliers, a Hub71 program that also includes e& enterprise as a partner, to address challenges that corporates and government face by providing innovative solutions ideated by startups.