Technology

Employees man their terminals at the control room for traffic and crowd management for pilgrims at the General Transport Centre at the Royal Commission for Mecca and Holy Sites in Mecca on June 3, 2025.

Saudi Arabia escalates Arabic AI race with new state-backed chatbot

The app is available only in Saudi Arabia, but the company plans to expand across the region and eventually globally.

From Kuwait to Turkey, why are countries cracking down on Roblox?

The fast-growing gaming platform has been banned in countries including China, Iran, Oman, Qatar, and Turkey.

A view of Simorgh (L) and Safir (2nd from left) Space Launch Vehicles and other Iran-made missiles in Iran's Museum of the Holy Defense in Tehran, Iran, on April 4, 2025.

Iran plans 20 satellites, test launch by end of 2025: What to know

Iran is seeking investment in its space agency and has made progress in developing satellites in the face of sanctions, though reliance on Russia remains a factor.

Elon Musk (L) and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (C) are directed to greet the Saudi crown prince at the Royal Court in Riyadh, on May 13, 2025.

Starlink targets Saudi skies as Musk’s Middle East push rolls on

The satellite internet service operated by SpaceX had been on an expansion spree in the Middle East in 2025, most recently launching in Israel as it also targets a deal with Saudi Arabia's national airline.

Latest News

Dubai Police to host expanded esports event amid UAE gaming push: What to know

Players in action during day one of the Girl Gamer Esports Festival at Meydan Racecourse on Feb. 21, 2020, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Netflix teams up with MBC’s Shahid in Saudi Arabia: An end to streaming wars?

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

AI pivot: Trump loosens export rules, opening path for Gulf tech surge

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - MAY 16: U.S. President Donald J. Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Trump is on the fourth and final day of his visit to the Gulf to underscore the strategic partnership between the United States and regional allies including the UAE, focusing on security and economic collaboration. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Jared Szuba

Samuel Wendel

By Jared Szuba , Samuel Wendel

Meet Karim Attiyeh, youngest Arab American billionaire of Lebanese origin

An image of Karim Attiyeh.

Citing security threats, Sudan blocks WhatsApp calls: What to know

The restriction comes as Sudan's civil war continues to devastate telecommunications infrastructure.

People visit the "EcoMotion Week" trade show on May 11, 2022, in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv.

Israeli startups raise $1.6B in June as war with Iran fails to rattle investors

Israeli startups raised funds through 18 deals in June, marking their highest monthly total since 2022, according to Startup Nation Central.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday held a phone call with billionaire businessman and former senior figure in the Trump administration Elon Musk, during which the two discussed the potential of Musk entering Lebanon’s telecom and internet sectors. What happened: A statement from the Lebanese presidency said that in their phone call, Musk “expressed his deep interest in Lebanon and its telecommunications and internet sectors.” Musk also expressed his desire for his companies to “have a presence

Elon Musk calls Lebanon’s Aoun, signals plans to bring Starlink to Beirut

A senior Starlink official met with Joseph Aoun last month for ongoing talks on bringing the technology to Lebanon.

A drone flies beside a damaged building following a strike by an Iranian missile in the Israeli city of Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, early on June 15, 2025.

Analysis

Israel's war in Iran redefining AI’s warfare role: The Gulf is taking notes

Israel’s AI-driven assault on Iran signals a new era of warfare in the Middle East, and Gulf states are watching closely.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Men walk past shops selling mobile phones in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital on January 12, 2025.

Analysis

Syria’s internet reboot takes shape amid outreach to Gulf telecoms

The new government is taking steps to rapidly overhaul one of the world’s most troubled internet systems by working with Gulf telecoms to build a new fiber-optic network.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

5g egypt

Egypt launches 5G network as North Africa's digital push accelerates

North African states are moving to introduce high-speed internet and data-intensive applications to business and government sectors in the face of increasing demand.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

AI chips, drones, jets: A look at Trump's $3.2 trillion megadeals during Gulf trip

Amid photo ops and lavish receptions, President Donald Trump’s Gulf trip yielded $3.2 trillion in announced deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE — though some details remain vague.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

US eases foreign investment rules days before Trump Gulf visit: What to know

Gulf states are estimated to manage 40% of the world’s sovereign wealth and are some of the biggest investors in the United States.

Khaldoun al-Mubarak, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Mubadala Investment Company, speaks at a panel session during the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 12, 2024. (Photo by RYAN LIM / AFP) (Photo by RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Mubadala investments soar by 33% as UAE deepens AI ties with US

Mubadala made 119 billion Emirati dirhams ($32.4 billion) worth of investments in 2024, up 33.7% from the previous year, according to a Thursday statement from the UAE fund.

United Arab Emirates

Sheikha Mayes Al-Thani speaks at inaugural USQBC-SelectUSA event in Washington, DC, February 25, 2024.

Interview

Qatar’s digital future offers opportunities in AI, energy, says head of US-Qatar Business Council

Talent, not just capital, is key to sustainable growth, says Sheikha Mayes Al Thani.

Sheikha Mayes Al Thani

Sheikha Mayes Al Thani

Managing Director, US-Qatar Business Council

Yasser Hassan

Exclusive

'Cloud First' policies give Saudi Arabia, UAE edge in AI race: Amazon exec

In March 2024, AWS announced plans to invest $5.3 billion in Saudi Arabia to launch a cloud infrastructure region in the kingdom by 2026.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

chip

How UAE AI firm's past China links stalled this US chipmaker's IPO

Cerebras Systems executives had been hoping that the Trump administration would fast-track the national security review that has left the chipmaker’s initial public offering in limbo for five months, Reuters reported Tuesday.

United Arab Emirates