Technology

According to a global study conducted by Censuswide across 850 C-level and senior utility leaders, the industry is recalibrating its capital deployment towards grid resilience, network reliability, and customer affordability.

According to a global study conducted by Censuswide across 850 C-level and senior utility leaders, the industry is recalibrating its capital deployment towards grid resilience, network reliability, and customer affordability.

Commissioned by enterprise software specialist IFS, the research outlines a sector navigating compounding pressures: deteriorating legacy assets, severe weather events, and mounting consumer sensitivity to energy bills. The findings highlight that operators can no longer treat the green transition in isolation from basic network security and operational balance.

Carol Johnston, VP of Energy, Utilities & Resources at IFS, puts the findings into perspective:

"The pendulum in the energy sector has swung fast. Sustainability continues to be a critical objective for utilities, but evolving operational and geopolitical realities are driving a more balanced investment agenda. Decades of under-investment, coupled with rigid regulatory rate cases and an aging grid, have created an operational environment where reliability, resilience, and affordability must be addressed simultaneously."

Fortifying ageing assets against growing volatility

Hardening physical networks against extreme weather disturbances and cyber threats has quickly become the primary operational focus for utility providers. Decades of deferred maintenance are catching up with operators, driving organisations to scrutinise existing substations, power lines, and transformers rather than chasing greenfield schemes alone.

• 26% of utilities are actively re-evaluating asset portfolios to redirect investment into existing infrastructure.

• 49% of organisations admit operational data silos hinder real-time decision-making during volatility.

• 51% have asset management systems deployed that remain siloed with poor predictive capabilities.

• 33% of leaders consider their current asset lifecycle management capabilities to be advanced.

Bridging these foundational data divides is now considered essential. Without unified insight into equipment condition, network managers struggle to plan capital expenditure effectively or anticipate points of failure before outages disrupt communities.

The role of industrial AI in modern grid operations

Rather than treating digital tools as experimental, power companies increasingly rely on Industrial AI as an operational cornerstone. Executives view artificial intelligence as a practical bridge across fragmented data sets, automating workflows and anticipating equipment failures before service interruptions occur.

Cost management and capacity planning are leading drivers of this technology adoption:

• 57% of utility executives consider AI critical for reducing soaring operational expenditures.

• 47% rely on AI to optimise equipment performance and manage structural demand growth from electrification.

• 46% state artificial intelligence is essential for accelerating the integration of renewable and distributed energy resources.

As Carol Johnston explains:

"Utilities cannot invest their way out of today's challenges through new infrastructure alone. Addressing growing demand and affordability pressures requires a balanced strategy that gets more from existing assets while making smart investments in new capacity, grid modernization, and resiliency. Industrial AI provides the decision intelligence needed to optimize asset performance, maximize returns on capital, and maintain reliable service in an increasingly complex operating environment."

Engineering future clean baseload and storage

As traditional grid management approaches hit functional limits, operators are adopting flexible architectures to mitigate supply volatility. Deployments of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) are expanding to absorb fluctuations and prevent widespread blackouts.

Looking further ahead, utility executives are assessing alternative technologies capable of securing firm, continuous baseload capacity. When questioned on which future innovations will deliver the greatest long-term impact on clean baseload generation, leaders pointed towards:

• Advanced geothermal energy (22%)

• Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) (18%)

Modern energy security ultimately relies on striking a viable compromise. By pairing unified asset lifecycle management with Industrial AI, utilities can defend aging assets, satisfy regulatory rate cases, and keep energy affordable without compromising long-term net-zero goals.

Nextgen has officially relocated its global headquarters to the UAE, positioning the business at the heart of one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for enterprise AI adoption.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly shifting from boardroom experimentation to full-scale operational deployment across the Middle East.

Standing at the forefront of this commercial shift is the United Arab Emirates, where a sharp rise in digital transformation is drawing international expertise straight to its commercial hubs. Responding directly to this momentum, UK-founded AI transformation firm Nextgen has officially relocated its global headquarters to the UAE, positioning the business at the heart of one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for enterprise AI adoption.

The decision to move its central base to Dubai reflects a wider structural evolution within the regional economy. Organisations are no longer simply testing the waters with pilot programmes; the focus has turned firmly towards achieving enterprise scale and generating measurable returns from emerging technologies.

The surge in UAE business AI adoption

The timing of Nextgen’s arrival coincides with a notable upward trajectory in corporate technology uptake across the Emirates. According to new research conducted by Strand Partners, which was developed in collaboration with the UAE Artificial Intelligence Office and Amazon Web Services (AWS), commercial AI integration has expanded substantially over the past twelve months.

Key findings from the research highlight the pace of this transition:

• Widespread Corporate Uptake: Exactly 72% of businesses operating in the UAE have now adopted AI, jumping from 53% a year earlier.
• Rapid Annual Expansion: That jump represents an increase of around 36% in year-on-year growth.
• Accelerated Transformation: Amongst the organisations already utilising AI, 85% reported that the technology has directly accelerated their wider business transformation.
• Room for Advanced Scaling: Roughly 31% of AI-adopting businesses are currently deploying the technology’s most advanced applications, pointing to a major growth opportunity for deeper engineering and enterprise scaling.

Moving enterprise AI from experimentation to production

While initial adoption rates are high, the critical challenge for modern enterprises lies in bridging the gap between basic tools and sophisticated, production-ready systems.

The firm works closely with both government bodies and large-scale enterprises operating across complex, highly regulated sectors. Rather than pushing a single proprietary platform, Nextgen operates across a broad ecosystem of global AI models and enterprise platforms. This model-agnostic methodology allows its specialist teams to select and tailor technology based strictly on an individual organisation's specific requirements, specific use case, and existing infrastructure environment. By uniting strategic planning with technical engineering, the company helps enterprises move past experimental phases to become genuinely AI-native.

“Under the clear vision of its leadership, the UAE has built one of the world’s most compelling environments for AI, with a focus that sets it apart: putting AI to work, not just developing it,” the company said in a statement. “That is exactly where we work. We help organisations move AI into production and make sure their people have the skills to use it and benefit from it. Making the UAE our home places us at the heart of that ambition and gives us a base to build AI capability for the region and beyond.”

Nextgen’s Global Footprint at a Glance

Bringing over a decade of cross-market delivery to the Gulf, the firm enters the local market with an established operational track record:

• Founded: 2012 in the United Kingdom.

• Workforce: Over 75 dedicated specialists working across five international offices.

• Client Base: Supporting more than 50 enterprise and government clients.

• Proven Delivery: 200 distinct AI use cases already live in production.

• Geographic Reach: Previous expansion from the UK into India and China, building deep delivery experience across both European and Asian markets.

A Strategic Bridge for Global Capability

Relocating its global headquarters to the Emirates allows Nextgen to capitalise on the nation's long-standing strategic position as a commercial crossroads between East and West, as well as between North and South. Having already established operations across the UK, India, and China, the company is now channelling its cross-market expertise into the Gulf. From its new UAE base, Nextgen aims to equip regional and international enterprises with both the technical architecture and the workforce skills required to turn ambitious AI strategies into lasting, real-world impact.

The United Arab Emirates has taken a monumental leap forward in its technological evolution with the official launch of a strategic digital infrastructure project designed to expand international connectivity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps) by 2030.

The United Arab Emirates has taken a monumental leap forward in its technological evolution with the official launch of a strategic digital infrastructure project designed to expand international connectivity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps) by 2030.

Witnessed by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, this landmark initiative marks a twenty-fivefold increase over current network capacity. Operating in his capacity as Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority (EIA), the main shareholder in etisalat group, Sheikh Mansour reviewed future projects aimed at strengthening the nation's readiness for accelerated artificial intelligence demands and cementing its status as a global technology hub.

Expanding international connectivity for the AI Era

As global data processing demands surge alongside exponential advancements in artificial intelligence, modern economies require robust, high-performance telecommunications architectures. The newly unveiled project addresses these growing challenges through diversified routing and advanced low-latency design. These engineering measures ensure that the country's connection to the global digital economy remains fast, direct, and resilient while simultaneously safeguarding digital sovereignty.

Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Alzaabi, Chairman of etisalat group, highlighted the strategic foresight behind the initiative during the launch event. He stated: “This project reflects our conviction that the UAE should not simply adopt AI, but govern it and build with it. That requires digital infrastructure at a scale that would prepare us for the future.”

He further elaborated on the massive technical scaling required to meet modern enterprise demands: “Moving international connectivity from 20 terabits per second to more than 500 is a strategic step to address the growing challenges facing global data processing and data flow, particularly given the tremendous advancements in AI, and enhances the flexibility and reliability of the infrastructure to meet the requirements of UAE's AI campuses, global cloud providers, and the group's operations and customers across its markets.”

Key project highlights and strategic figures

To understand the sheer scale and operational scope of this nationwide digital transformation, several key metrics and project features stand out:

• Capacity Milestone: International connectivity capacity is scheduled to expand from 20 Tbps to over 500 Tbps by 2030.

• Growth Factor: Represents a massive twenty-fivefold increase over current capacity levels.

• Network Design: Utilises diversified routes combined with low-latency performance to ensure maximum reliability.

• Global Footprint: etisalat group currently operates across 38 countries, serving more than 250 million subscribers worldwide.

• Strategic Pillars: Anchored within a refreshed corporate vision built around four core business engines: telecommunications, artificial intelligence and business solutions, infrastructure, and financial technology.

Strengthening national competitiveness and global reach

Beyond domestic upgrades, the initiative extends national infrastructure directly into the global digital ecosystem. Because etisalat group maintains an expansive international footprint spanning 38 countries and serving upwards of 250 million subscribers, the project creates seamless digital bridges across multiple continents. This ensures that UAE-based institutions, global cloud providers, and regional enterprise campuses enjoy unparalleled connectivity resilience.

The undertaking also coincides with etisalat's fiftieth anniversary celebrations, marking five decades of continuous technological contribution to the nation. Reflecting on this milestone, Chairman Alzaabi noted: “This is the same commitment that has guided this group for fifty years. We marked that anniversary this week by setting out what the next era asks of us, and this project is our answer. In every generation of technology, etisalat has built the infrastructure the nation depends on, ensuring high flexibility and resiliency across all our markets. AI is the defining technology of this generation, and the principle has not changed.”

This ambitious development reinforces the UAE's overarching vision to cultivate a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy. By providing public and private institutions with dependable, high-capacity digital highways, the nation is well-positioned to pioneer advanced technology deployment on a global scale.

Dubai Municipality has officially joined the Digital Twin Consortium (DTC).

The rapid evolution of modern urban planning is fundamentally changing how major global hubs manage their physical environments and infrastructure.

At the heart of this transformation is the integration of advanced geospatial technologies and the concept of a digital twin—a dynamic, highly accurate digital representation of real-world urban spaces.

Dubai Municipality has officially joined the Digital Twin Consortium (DTC). This strategic membership expands the organisation’s engagement with a vast international network of technology innovators, urban planning experts, and digital transformation specialists. By aligning itself with a global community dedicated to advancing these systems, the municipality is set to accelerate its pioneering “Dubai Digital Twin” initiative. The overarching ambition is clear: to leverage cutting-edge geospatial technology to solidify Dubai’s position among the smartest, most advanced, and sustainably developed cities in the world

Global Collaboration in Geospatial Technologies

The announcement of this prestigious membership directly followed the participation of Dubai Municipality—represented by its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Centre—in the recent DTC Members’ Meeting held in Orlando, Florida, in the United States. This high-level event brought together prominent members of the Consortium to discuss the latest advancements in the field. The gathering served as a vital forum for exchanging expertise, reviewing best practices in geospatial data applications, and comparing various strategic approaches to digitising urban landscapes. Participants from ten different countries were in attendance, presenting their unique experiences, technologies, and applications, thus providing a comprehensive overview of emerging international practices.

During the extensive sessions at the meeting, the GIS Centre delegation provided a detailed presentation on Dubai’s unique journey in utilising these advanced technologies.

Practical Applications and Operational Successes

To illustrate the practical capabilities of its initiatives, Dubai Municipality showcased several impressive milestones and operational successes.

• Extensive 3D Modelling: The successful creation of high-fidelity 3D models encompassing more than 195,000 buildings across the emirate, providing an unparalleled digital blueprint of the city’s architectural landscape.

• System Integration: The seamless technical integration between the municipality’s digital twin platform and the No Objection Certificate (NOC) system.

• Utility Collaboration: The development of these integrated systems in close collaboration with various utility entities operating across Dubai.

• Infrastructure Coordination: The enhanced ability to support complex infrastructure coordination and streamline interactions between different government and private sector bodies.

• Scenario Simulation: The capacity to accurately simulate real-world conditions, allowing planners to test potential impacts before implementing physical changes.

These robust capabilities demonstrate precisely how an advanced digital infrastructure can strengthen overall urban planning and fundamentally improve public service delivery. By connecting disparate data streams into a unified visual and analytical platform, the municipality can pre-emptively address the logistical challenges of rapid urban expansion.

Managing Continued Urban Development

Dubai Municipality’s active membership in the Digital Twin Consortium is a core component of its wider strategic efforts to expand international collaboration. As the emirate continues its trajectory of rapid growth, the application of these advanced digital solutions will be instrumental in managing its continued urban development. By exchanging knowledge on a global stage and continually refining its geospatial technologies, Dubai is setting a powerful benchmark for what the smart cities of tomorrow can achieve.