Technology

Bellieud

Interview

Al-Futtaim targets 2026 UAE rollout for game-changer ultrafast EV charging

The technology, which has only been deployed in China, will enable up to 400 kilometers of car recharging in five minutes, roughly the same time as filling a petrol tank.

Lucas Bellieud

Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Managing Director

EA office building in Austin, Texas, USA.

Gaming giant Electronic Arts taken private in $55B Saudi-backed buyout

The transaction represents a significant deal involving entities close to the Saudi Arabian and US governments.

Analysis

Gulf investors emerge as key players in US social media giants TikTok, Snap, X

With UAE tech investor MGX set to take a stake in TikTok's US operations, investors from the Middle East could cement their role in America's social media landscape.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

PayPal headquarters pictured in San Jose, California, on Oct. 15, 2015.

PayPal bets $100M as Middle East’s Gulf fintech giants amplify competition

The move from the US payments giant comes amid a flurry of activity that has further cemented the Gulf’s fintech sector on the map for global investors — including Saudi Arabia's Tamara, which recently secured a $2.4 billion financing deal.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Google Pay, China’s Alipay+ launch in Saudi Arabia amid cashless push

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

China-made flying car makes first test flight in UAE: What to know

An Xpeng AeroHT X2 Flying Car is seen on display in Hong Kong on May 17, 2024

United Arab Emirates

Lebanon grants license to Musk's Starlink in bid to address sluggish telecomms

Ray of sun over the box and antenna during Unbox reliable data transmission and connection with SpaceXs Starlink.

Iran eyes launch of 4 satellites, open Chabahar space port by spring 2026

A picture obtained on Dec. 14, 2013 from Iran's ISNA news agency allegedly shows the launch of the Pajohesh (research) rocket containing a live space monkey named Fargam (Auspicious) at an undisclosed location in Iran.

In this illustration photo taken on July 18, 2022, Elon Musk's reply tweet to Parag Agrawal, CEO of Twitter.

Saudi firms face 6.7% higher Twitter verification fees than US

Syria, Sudan, Iran, the West Bank and Gaza Strip are not on the price list and appear to be unable to purchase this subscription.

Israel technology

Report: Israel tech sector still among world’s strongest

Judicial fallout and layoffs have not hurt the industry's world standing, according to a report from Dealroom.co and Tel Aviv Tech.

A man walks past a sign of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Mumbai on August 5, 2022. - India's central bank on August 5 hiked interest rates for the third time in four months, as Asia's third-largest economy contends with a widening trade deficit and weakening currency. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP) (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE, India to boost cooperation via digital currency

The Emirati Central Bank has begun implementing its digital dirham strategy following a financial cooperation agreement with India and the UAE's cryptocurrency push.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secured. The tweet was found to be false and cost shareholders billions of dollars when Tesla's stock price began to fluctuate wildly allegedly based on the tweet. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Elon Musk denies report that Saudi Arabia, UAE intend to invest in SpaceX

An arm of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and an Abu Dhabi-based company were reported to be looking to invest in Elon Musk’s SpaceX, according to The Information, which cited people familiar with investor discussions.

The Dubai metro track is seen along Sheikh Zayed Road, as the Gulf emirate prepares to open its new metro network in a bid to cut dependency on cars and ease congestion, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 9, 2009.

UAE, Oman call for bids on $3 billion transnational railway project

The move aims to expand the role of the private sector in the state-owned project and promote regional integration, with the project connecting Oman’s Sohar Port with the UAE's National Rail Network.

UAE center unveils Falcon LLM, 'better, faster' ChatGPT rival

The model claims to use only 75 percent of GPT-3’s training compute time, and 40 and 80 percent of DeepMind’s Chinchilla NLP and Google’s PaLM-62B compute times, respectively.

This picture taken on May 11, 2022 shows a view of the main headquarters of Qatari news broadcaster Al Jazeera in the capital Doha.

UAE unblocks several Qatar news sites as ties between two nations warm

Several Qatari-owned news websites had been inaccessible to UAE residents since relations worsened in 2016 over Doha's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, but at least four are now unblocked.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secured. The tweet was found to be false and cost shareholders billions of dollars when Tesla's stock price began to fluctuate wildly allegedly based on the tweet. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Turkey fines Elon Musk over Twitter purchase

The decision follows the implementation of a controversial social media law in Turkey that prompted Twitter to open an office in the country.

People watch the lauching of NASA and SpaceX Dragon Crew-6 mission to International Space Station, at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai on March 2, 2023. - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off to the International Space Station carrying two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and the second Emirati to voyage to space. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE sends second astronaut to space on longest Arab mission

Sultan Saif AlNeyadi will collaborate with NASA and other international space agencies to conduct 19 scientific studies in a wide array of fields.

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attend the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit (SCIS) of the UNFCCC COP27 climate conference on November 07, 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain sign 12 industrial agreements worth $2 billion

The third Higher Committee Meeting of the Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development wrapped up in Amman with 12 new agreements on industrial projects.

The Dubai metro track is seen along Dubai's Shiekh Zayed road on September 09, 2009, as the UAE opens its new metro network in a bid to cut dependency on cars and ease congestion. Dubai is the first city in the oil-rich Gulf to introduce rail as a commuting option. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

New rail network on track to bring billions into UAE economy

The railway will serve the UAE’s sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions in the road transportation sector.

Russia's Rosoboronexport displayed more than 200 combat-tested weapons at an isolated pavilion.

UAE's IDEX weapons fair brings in Russia, China, and billion-dollar deals

The United Arab Emirates’ defense expenditure amounted to $22.5 billion last year and is expected to reach $28.6 billion by 2027.