Dubai is creating data highways and secure platforms to make AI a seamless part of daily life. AI is already embedded in many of Dubai’s everyday systems.
By Jose Petisco, Vice President of EEMI Strategic Markets at NetApp
Cities around the world are reengineering themselves to accommodate AI, not just through new technologies, but through a total rethink of how urban systems work together.
A Reuters report projects that by 2025, over 500 cities will be using digital twins to better manage resources, potentially saving $280 billion by 2030 through smarter planning and operations.
Similarly, a Deloitte study adds that at least 250 cities across 78 countries are actively deploying AI, automation and agentic systems to improve everything from traffic flow to healthcare.
As this global momentum builds, one thing is clear: the success of AI in urban environments depends less on the tools themselves and more on the strength of the data infrastructure that supports them.
Dubai is leading this shift and is taking it further.
The city is laying the groundwork: building data highways and secure platforms that allow AI to truly take hold. AI is already embedded in many of Dubai’s everyday systems.
From healthcare and finance to logistics and city planning, AI is helping services become more adaptive and operations more efficient. But what makes this possible happens behind the scenes—how data is stored, organized, protected and routed. Everything must flow smoothly for AI to deliver on its promise.
Dubai’s approach to AI is rooted in long-term thinking. The Dubai AI Roadmap, for instance, sets out to embed AI in key sectors of society.
Alongside it, the Dubai Data Strategy is focused on shaping a secure, scalable data environment. These frameworks are building the infrastructure for a city that thrives on intelligent decision-making and citizen-centric services.
The outcomes are already visible. Supply chains are getting sharper with real-time logistics. Financial institutions are using predictive tools to make better choices.
Hospitals are finding ways to diagnose faster with help from AI-driven insights. Even traffic patterns are getting a second look, thanks to planners using models to guide city growth and flow.
All these innovations, though varied, lean on a shared resource: data. And not just having a lot of it, but knowing how to manage it. The old comparison still holds: “Data is the new oil.”
Like oil, data on its own isn’t much use. It needs refining, cleaning, organizing, protecting and moving to become useful. Without that groundwork, even the smartest algorithms are limited.
That’s where infrastructure comes in. Dubai has made targeted investments in systems that not only store and secure data, but also make it work when it’s needed. Performance, privacy and compliance aren’t just checkboxes—they’re part of what makes the entire engine run.
Across this growing ecosystem, companies are contributing in different ways to help make this possible. NetApp, for instance, is supporting the development of sovereign, on-premise AI infrastructure designed to power real-time enterprise workloads.
As part of a 2025 collaboration with NVIDIA in Dubai, intelligent data systems were combined with high-performance computing to support agentic AI workloads in regulated sectors like healthcare.
These systems allowed local organizations to run AI models with ultra-low latency while ensuring full data sovereignty. The focus wasn’t just on speed or scale—it was about building trusted, reliable environments that align with local policies and long-term goals.
What’s powerful about this model is how easily it can be applied elsewhere. Any region looking to scale AI responsibly can learn from it.
It’s about putting the right plumbing in place so data can move freely, securely, and usefully. And it’s about removing barriers, so public and private sectors can work together to get the most from their data.
The future of AI in Dubai
Dubai isn’t just keeping pace with global AI developments—it’s setting its own course. Across the city, there’s a shift toward systems that don’t just react, but anticipate.
Think of intersections where traffic lights change based on live congestion or public services that adjust before people even know they need them. These aren’t future concepts—they’re already showing up in everyday use.
This scenario isn’t a distant dream; it’s already underway. Initiatives like District 2020, the post-Expo 2020 innovation hub, are laying the groundwork for a resilient, inclusive and data-smart future.
Of course, building this kind of environment takes more than vision. It depends on infrastructure that respects privacy, moves quickly and delivers insights when they matter most.
The tools are important, but what makes them work is how well the data moves behind the scenes. Intelligence, in a city like Dubai, is no longer an add-on—it’s becoming part of the architecture.
What’s next?
Dubai’s approach is catching the attention of cities around the world, and for good reason. It’s not about rushing to adopt the newest tools or chasing trends. The real takeaway is simpler: build systems that can grow, adapt, and earn trust over time.
That starts with how data is handled. When information moves reliably and securely, everything else, AI models, automation, and public services, can function as intended and generate meaningful outcomes.
The most forward-thinking cities won’t just treat data as an IT issue. They’ll treat it as a long-term asset that shapes how decisions are made and services are delivered. Because in the end, it’s not the tools that make a city smart. It’s how ready the city is to use its data in meaningful ways. And that’s where the real advantage lies.
