Global Millennial Capital Ltd., a venture capital fund, released a white paper on Wednesday calling UAE as the global hub for innovation and driving the future of AI, compute and enterprise services.
The report outlines how the UAE is emerging as a leader in AI through policy, infrastructure, capital, and workforce planning. The report presents the country as an emerging base for AI infrastructure, platforms, and enterprise services, while also mapping valuation growth for OpenAI, Anthropic, and Databricks from July 2024 to March 2026.
GMCL Whitepaper sets out the UAE policy case
According to GMCL, the UAE has built a structured AI agenda around innovation, governance, and ethical deployment. The report identifies this framework as the base for the country’s broader AI push. It also says national institutions and policy tools support that direction. The paper presents these measures as core parts of the UAE’s long-term AI strategy.
The report names the UAE National AI Strategy 2031 as one of the main policy pillars. It says the strategy aims to make the country a global AI hub. It also links the roadmap to AI use across government, healthcare, transport, and education. GMCL adds that the strategy supports research ties and international cooperation in AI development.
GMCL highlights the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, which the UAE established in 2017. The ministry is said to support policy design, ethical standards, and AI innovation programs. It adds that the institution promotes startup activity and funding support. The paper presents the ministry as a central part of the UAE’s AI governance structure.
The third pillar in the report is the UAE AI Ethics and Governance Guidelines. GMCL says the framework focuses on transparency, explainability, accountability, privacy, and fairness. It adds that these principles guide responsible AI use across sectors. The paper groups these standards with policy and institutional support in one coordinated national approach.
Report ties AI outlook to capital and infrastructure
GMCL links the UAE’s AI position to capital access and digital infrastructure. The report points to sovereign and private capital as major supports. It also references data-center expansion, compute growth, and digital connectivity. The paper says these factors strengthen the UAE’s role in AI infrastructure and enterprise services.
The report states that policy and infrastructure now operate together within one national framework. It says that combination helps place the UAE among leading destinations for AI-related business activity. GMCL also says the country continues to build the conditions needed for platforms and service providers. The paper frames those conditions as practical supports for long-term AI deployment.
GMCL compares its July 2024 research with figures from March 2026. It says OpenAI, Anthropic, and Databricks held a combined valuation of about $140 billion in July 2024. By March 2026, the same three companies reached about $1.37 trillion. The report uses that increase to show how quickly AI company values have expanded.
Andreea Danila, general partner at GMCL, linked that rise to infrastructure repricing. She said, “The near-tenfold revaluation” reflects AI’s role as critical economic infrastructure. She also said the shift changes how regional private capital approaches AI exposure. Her comments in the report focus on direct access, structured equity, and regional co-investment routes.
Jobs, training, and workplace adoption take center stage
GMCL says AI is reshaping labor markets as companies redesign work and skill needs. The report cites the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025. It says that the report projects 92 million jobs displaced and 170 million new jobs created by 2030. The paper uses those figures to frame the pace of labor market change.
The same source says 39 percent of core job skills will change by 2030. GMCL lists AI and big data, cybersecurity, and technological literacy as fast-growing skill areas. The report places these shifts beside the UAE’s training and education efforts. It says the country is moving early on workforce preparation.
GMCL cites Human Capital Consulting on executive readiness in the UAE. It says 80 percent of UAE CEOs are redesigning roles around AI collaboration. It also says 92 percent believe their organizations are ready to deploy AI responsibly. The report presents those figures as evidence of workplace adoption and management readiness.
For institutions, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) is mentioned for its AI training. The university continues to graduate talent in computer vision, machine learning, and natural language processing. GMCL adds that MBZUAI has trained senior executives from energy, finance, health, and government. The report includes these details to show how formal education supports the wider AI agenda.
Business models and private capital shape the next phase
GMCL identifies six business models that it says are shaping AI investment. The report lists AI-as-a-Service, data monetization, AI-enhanced products, and AI-driven platforms. It also includes customized AI solutions and AI-powered analytics. The paper says these models reflect where future commercial value may form.
GMCL links those business models to the UAE’s policy and infrastructure ambitions. It says they align with sovereign data infrastructure, home-grown AI companies, and expanding compute capacity. The report also connects them to the country’s role in enterprise services. It presents that alignment as part of the UAE’s AI development path.
AJ Jena, research collaborator at GMCL, said the GCC policy direction matches several technology trends. He said AI ubiquity, Arabic-English NLP parity, automation-led productivity, and hyper-personalization now shape capital decisions. He also said governance, data sovereignty, and Arabic-language model performance should stand as key diligence factors. His comments appear in the paper’s section on technology research and regional positioning.
The report also gives private capital a central role in the AI economy. GMCL says venture capital and private equity finance research-stage ideas that public markets cannot fund alone. It adds that this capital supports compute infrastructure, data platforms, enterprise software, and early-stage founders. The paper places that capital stack inside the UAE’s broader economic diversification efforts.
Regional economic estimates and public-sector programs add context
GMCL includes external economic estimates to place the UAE’s AI push in a wider regional frame. The report cites PwC projections that AI could add $320 billion to the Middle East economy by 2030. It says the UAE could see the largest relative GDP effect. The paper estimates that effect at about 14 percent of GDP, or about $96 billion.
Additionally, the GMCL report references McKinsey estimates on generative AI in GCC economies. It says generative AI alone could add $21 billion to $35 billion each year to GCC non-oil GDP. GMCL adds that earlier AI technologies could contribute about $150 billion. These figures appear in the paper’s economic value section.
GMCL also points to public-sector and workforce programs already in place in the UAE. The report says Dubai has launched a government-wide AI training program. It also names Nafis among federal efforts that support AI fluency in career pathways. The paper says these programs support both public-sector and Emirati private-sector participation.
According to GMCL, AI will continue changing industries and business models. It says companies that adopt AI integration, personalization, and ethical practices may position themselves for the change . GMCL also says businesses must stay agile as the space evolves.