Dubai Sets AI Campus Targets Alongside Data-Driven City Planning

Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved Dubai AI Campus targets to attract more than 1,000 firms and create more than 5,000 highly skilled jobs by 2030, alongside data-led city planning.

The approval came Monday, Oct. 26. The campus launched in May 2024 and had attracted more than 500 AI companies by the announcement. Together, those companies had secured more than AED 1 billion in private equity and venture capital. The campus had contributed to more than 2,000 specialized technology jobs.

Sheikh Hamdan also reviewed plans for a 100,000-square-foot campus building in the Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) Zabeel District expansion. Planned features include graphics processing unit (GPU)-ready systems, secure AI development areas, digital-twin environments, AI-powered building systems and testing labs for government and private-sector use.

Dubai’s resident population was 4.580 million at the end of 2025. The average number of people present during peak daytime hours that year was 6.392 million, including more than 1.812 million people temporarily present in the emirate.

Dubai Population Now combines administrative records and smart-system data from nine government entities. Its inputs cover areas including transport, utilities, health, education and tourism. The system uses AI, machine learning and predictive analytics to study population and mobility patterns for planning and service delivery.

An AI Integration Matrix Framework organizes government AI use cases and has guided the internal deployment of more than 100 AI systems across multiple sectors. An updated Dubai Data Manual sets standards for data quality, governance, responsibilities and compliance. Younus Al Nasser, chief executive of Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment, said that “the quality, governance, and readiness of our data will define the strength of our digital future.”

The 2026 Intelligent Cities Index ranked Dubai second overall and first in its adoption category among 61 cities in 39 countries. The index assessed cities across outcomes, strategy, adoption, ways of working and enablers; it is not a measure of specific service improvements.

Dubai’s Economic Agenda D33 aims to double the emirate’s economy by 2033 and sets a target for digital-transformation projects to contribute AED 100 billion annually. The campus’s company and jobs goals are set for 2030.