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Dubai AI Campus raises its target to 1,000 AI companies and 5,000 jobs by 2030

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An open-plan modern technology office with glass meeting rooms and large screens, no people visible Tech and AI
An open-plan modern technology office with glass meeting rooms and large screens, no people visible

The DIFC-based campus passed its goal of 500 companies two years early and will move into a 100,000 square foot building in DIFC Zabeel District.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, has approved new targets for Dubai AI Campus: more than 1,000 AI companies and over 5,000 highly skilled jobs by 2030, the Dubai Media Office said on 26 October.

The campus, part of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), was launched in May 2024 with a target of 500 AI companies by 2028. It now hosts more than 500, two years ahead of schedule. Its companies have raised more than AED 1 billion from private equity and venture capital funds and created more than 2,000 specialised technology jobs.

A new 100,000 square foot campus building is planned in the DIFC Zabeel District expansion, with GPU-ready systems, secure AI development zones, digital twin environments and modular, lab-ready floors. AI Labs there will let government entities and companies develop and test AI tools before wider use, and an AI Experience Centre will be open to the public.

The announcement came at the third Dubai AI Festival at Dubai World Trade Centre, which organisers said drew more than 20,000 attendees from over 100 countries, 500 investors and 200 exhibitors. "Dubai AI Campus has already achieved its 2028 target of attracting 500 AI companies two years ahead of schedule," said Arif Amiri, Chief Executive of DIFC Authority.

For AI start-ups considering Dubai, the new building and labs are aimed at firms that need computing capacity and a route to pilot projects with government entities.

Sources