Abu Dhabi is set to host one of the largest gatherings of artificial intelligence companies and policymakers this week, as the Ai Everything Abu Dhabi summit opens on October 6 at the ADNEC Centre with more than 400 AI-first companies and over 180 speakers from more than 70 countries.
According to Gulf News, the two-day event is organised by inD and hosted by the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi (DGE), with Solutions+, a Mubadala company, as Global Partner. Organisers describe it as the world's largest AI-first expo and summit, aimed at showing how massive AI investments translate into business returns and economic value through live industry demonstrations.
Working AI, not just talk
Microsoft will present its government AI programme, including the rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot to 35,000 Abu Dhabi government employees. The company says the programme, backed by in-country data residency and responsible-AI safeguards, is meant to help employees make better-informed decisions and spend more time on public service.
Data-storage firm VDURA will bring its Data Platform V12 to the Middle East for the first time, while industrial AI provider IFS will run live demonstrations aimed at ports, utilities, aerospace, oil and gas and manufacturing — including an agent it projects could save a client $3 million and 90,000 technician hours a year.
An AI-native government push
The summit is also a showcase for Abu Dhabi's ambition to become what officials describe as the world's first AI-native government by 2027. A dedicated New Intelligence Summit will bring ministers and industry executives together to discuss how education, skills and organisational readiness can support AI adoption, with speakers from the DGE, Khalifa University, ADNOC and Oracle on the line-up.
Sources: Ai Everything Abu Dhabi 2026: Microsoft, VDURA, IFS Showcase AI Innovations · Abu Dhabi to gather global tech leaders, unicorns at premier AI expo
According to Gulf News, the two-day event is organised by inD and hosted by the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi (DGE), with Solutions+, a Mubadala company, as Global Partner. Organisers describe it as the world's largest AI-first expo and summit, aimed at showing how massive AI investments translate into business returns and economic value through live industry demonstrations.
Working AI, not just talk
Microsoft will present its government AI programme, including the rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot to 35,000 Abu Dhabi government employees. The company says the programme, backed by in-country data residency and responsible-AI safeguards, is meant to help employees make better-informed decisions and spend more time on public service.
Data-storage firm VDURA will bring its Data Platform V12 to the Middle East for the first time, while industrial AI provider IFS will run live demonstrations aimed at ports, utilities, aerospace, oil and gas and manufacturing — including an agent it projects could save a client $3 million and 90,000 technician hours a year.
An AI-native government push
The summit is also a showcase for Abu Dhabi's ambition to become what officials describe as the world's first AI-native government by 2027. A dedicated New Intelligence Summit will bring ministers and industry executives together to discuss how education, skills and organisational readiness can support AI adoption, with speakers from the DGE, Khalifa University, ADNOC and Oracle on the line-up.
Sources: Ai Everything Abu Dhabi 2026: Microsoft, VDURA, IFS Showcase AI Innovations · Abu Dhabi to gather global tech leaders, unicorns at premier AI expo
