How is the UAE using its long-standing “build it and they will come” strategy to become a global exporter of artificial intelligence, and can the country replicate the same success it achieved in oil, aviation and logistics?

Experts say the UAE is now applying the same model that transformed Dubai into a global hub — investing early in infrastructure before demand peaks — but this time the focus is on AI data centres, sovereign cloud systems and what industry leaders call “manufacturing intelligence” through token and agent factories. With a five-gigawatt AI campus under development in Abu Dhabi, strategic geographic access to nearly half the world’s population, and one of the world’s highest per capita AI adoption rates, the country aims to position itself as a major exporter of AI services and computing power. Supporters believe the UAE’s early investments, strong connectivity and unique healthcare and genomic datasets could give it a competitive edge, while others question whether AI exports can truly mirror the long-term economic impact once delivered by oil and trade infrastructure.