Major initiatives have made the city a cutting-edge hub – from the government-led 10X agenda to specialized health care schemes. « sandboxing ». As part of the D33 economic agenda, the city has set itself the mission of doubling its GDP by relying on digital innovation and technology to stimulate growth in vital economic sectors and defend local businesses. the new economy, with the aim of creating 30 unicorn companies in Dubai.
Dubai hosts the largest technology fair in the world, GITEX Global, where thousands of start-ups and investors meet every October. This attractiveness was also confirmed last October, when the metropolis responded to the invitation of the World Economic Forum, by organizing, for the second consecutive year, the annual Global Future Council meeting which brought together 500 experts from various sectors.
Dubai is establishing itself as the focal point for discussions on advances in artificial intelligence (AI), smart cities, blockchain and cybersecurity. Thanks to its strategic ecosystem, the metropolis has risen to the rank of world leader, leading foreign direct investment in the AI and robotics sectors.
The main driver of the growth of the Dubai financial hub is fintech, which is also the major lever of its digital transformation. Other centers of excellence are also emerging: digital health, renewable energies, biotechnologies, logistics, Insurtech, etc. All these sectors benefit from new innovation centers such as Dubai Healthcare City, DIFC Innovation Hub, Dubai Science Park among others. Dubai is also seeing its proptech – technology applied to real estate – explode: its investment volume is higher than that of fintech in the first half of 2024.
This pioneering role in tomorrow’s economy is part of an ambitious and thoughtful strategy. Thus, in line with its roadmap « Smart Dubai »aiming to transform the metropolis into a smart city, almost all government services are now accessible online. Additionally, the Digital Dubai Authority recently partnered with Microsoft to deploy AI across the emirate’s public sector.
With world-class digital infrastructure and an innovation-friendly legislative and tax framework, Dubai has become a hub for tech giants, venture capital and startups leveraging its growing technology ecosystem. To facilitate the digital connection of all these players, the Dubai International Financial Center recently launched a digital platform, Ignyte, aimed at accelerating the growth of 100,000 startups.
Dubai is also a growth laboratory for entrepreneurs from around the world, incubated by incubators such as the Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtech), Dubai AI Campus or the Sandbox Dubai program, supported by Oraseya Capital. An ambitious objective of the city which testifies to this dynamic: the emirate intends to triple the number of mobile application developers by 2025. Higher, stronger: as part of the Dubai D33 Agenda, the city aims to bring out 30 unicorns by 2033, the date on which Dubai will position itself in the top 3 of the largest business centers, according to the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
