Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 is intensifying its focus on artificial intelligence while preparing to expand into healthcare, as the emirate accelerates its ambitions to become a global technology hub capable of attracting talent, investment, and entrepreneurs from across the world.
Launched in 2019 with backing from sovereign wealth fund Mubadala and international technology partners, the state-supported startup ecosystem aims to serve as the Gulf’s equivalent of Silicon Valley. In a discussion with Arabian Business, Peter Abou Hachem, Hub71’s Head of Growth and Strategy, stated that artificial intelligence is now the organisation’s primary strategic focus.
“We have recently onboarded 13 new AI startups, taking our total to around 53,” he said. “Our goal is to leverage Abu Dhabi’s robust infrastructure in computing, energy, and sovereign investments to help cultivate the next OpenAI from the emirate.”
Hub71’s AI strategy is intended to span multiple industries rather than concentrate on a single sector. Abou Hachem described artificial intelligence as a “horizontal technology” poised to impact all areas of life and business, from finance to logistics. The sector is already delivering concrete outcomes in fields like drug discovery and genomics.
“Healthcare and life sciences represent some of the most promising applications for AI,” he noted, highlighting how startups are deploying AI models to accelerate pharmaceutical research and development.
“The rationale behind our clusters is always to align with Abu Dhabi’s broader strategic objectives,” he explained. “Whenever Abu Dhabi develops infrastructure in a sector, whether it is healthcare, water, or food security, we create a corresponding startup ecosystem.
This approach reflects Abu Dhabi’s wider economic diversification strategy. The emirate has made significant investments in biotechnology, research institutions, and healthcare facilities, while attracting specialised talent through residency programmes and lifestyle incentives.
