ATRC showcases UAE's AI prowess at MIITE 2025
23 May 2025 00:10
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)Reaffirming the UAE's leadership in the global AI landscape, the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) showcased the nation's technological capabilities at this year's Make it in the Emirates (MIITE) event, presenting a diverse array of innovations — from advanced AI models to autonomous drones.As the UAE's overarching R&D authority, the ATRC drives the nation's ambitions by identifying, developing, and deploying the science, intelligence, and transformative technologies needed to achieve them, the team told Aletihad on the sidelines of the MIITE.This year, it launched Falcon Arabic, the region's most advanced Arabic AI model, and Falcon-H1, a high-performance model that runs on everyday devices.'From sovereign AI to autonomous drones to stealth materials and energy-saving coatings, we are turning national ambition into visible, scalable outcomes; reinforcing that the UAE has arrived on the global innovation stage,' the ATRC told Aletihad.
AI71 in Spotlight Among the subsidiaries the council highlighted at MIITE is AI71, an AI company that builds cutting-edge, enterprise-level applications — from AI-driven assistants to healthcare and construction solutions.Its products help organisations analyse data, conduct research, and streamline communication, among others, so they can effectively support their clients and create impact.Speaking to Aletihad, Chiara Marcati from the company's AI Advisory & Business team elaborated on AI71's tech showcase, including its two flagship products, ASK71 and CONS71."ASK71 is our enterprise orchestration engine. It helps organisations locate their data, act on it, automate workflows, and orchestrate operations," Marcati said.CONS71, on the other hand, is a one-stop AI-powered platform for the construction industry, she said. 'It handles everything from AI-driven planning to compliance checks, digital twins, and remote monitoring through IoT and satellite imagery."These two products are backed by in-house AI capabilities.
Bigger projects are in the pipeline as AI71 forged partnerships with TII and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The collaboration combines AI71's enterprise solutions with TII's R&D, and AWS' cloud infrastructure to spur AI innovation, enhance privacy, and nurture talent.
The strategic partnership 'spans R&D, co-developing products, creating go-to-market strategies, and launching 'AI-in-a-box' solutions for governments and enterprises', Marcati said.
Besides developing cutting-edge solutions, AI71 rolls out initiatives to support startups and boost talent development.
'We are actively partnering with universities, accelerators like AWS and MBZUAI, and mentoring startups. We are deeply involved in nurturing the local ecosystem,' Marcati said.
Ethical responsibility is also central to AI71's mission. "Responsible AI is not just a buzzword for us. We have integrated it into our engineering process with dedicated roles and a clear set of guardrails. We conduct quarterly reviews at the leadership level and bring these discussions to our company-wide town halls."
AI71 echoes the broader push of ATRC to develop technologies not only for the UAE but for the world.
The council accelerates industrial growth by performing applied R&D and validating technologies — making sure the innovations are ready for industrial large-scale, real-world use.
'ATRC is a dynamic R&D ecosystem designed to turn scientific discovery into sovereign capability for the intelligence era, and that capability translates to long-term industrial strength,' the council's spokesperson told Aletihad.
Boosting National Talent
Developing the next generation of tech leaders is another key mission for ATRC. The goal is to cultivate Emirati engineers who not only engage with advanced technologies but also learn to create and innovate them.
'Through our NexTech programme, we have placed students at world-leading institutions like CalTech, Yale, and Manchester to embed them in frontier research. At home, we are scaling coding initiatives in public schools, training over 1,000 students in Python this year alone.'
The support goes beyond education, it added. 'Our R&D platforms, like the UAE Research Map, are expanding access to research capabilities and enabling young innovators to exchange knowledge with local experts.'
These platforms do not just connect, they offer the opportunity to contribute to the scientific community, build expertise, and ultimately become thought leaders in science and advanced technologies, the ATRC said. 'From Falcon to quantum breakthroughs, that's how we turn curiosity into capability.
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