The UAE Cyber Security Council, in collaboration with Cisco and Open Innovation AI, has established a national AI test and validation lab in the UAE. This new lab aims to provide a secure environment for rigorously testing AI systems and applications. Its purpose is to ensure the reliability, robustness, and adherence to ethical standards of AI solutions developed and deployed across various sectors in the country. Why it matters: This initiative is crucial for fostering a secure and trustworthy AI ecosystem within the UAE, directly supporting the nation's strategic goals for advanced technology adoption and governance.
The UAE Cybersecurity Council (CSC), in partnership with Cisco and Open Innovation AI, is establishing a National AI Test and Validation Lab in the UAE. This new lab will focus on testing and validating artificial intelligence systems to ensure their reliability and security. The initiative is set to bolster the UAE's national AI infrastructure and governance. Why it matters: This development is crucial for building trust in AI systems and ensuring the responsible and secure deployment of AI technologies across the UAE.
OPAQUE, a San Francisco-based Confidential AI company, acquired advanced cryptographic AI technologies from Abu Dhabi's Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research pillar of ATRC. The acquired technology enhances OPAQUE's platform with confidential AI model training using multi-party computation and fully homomorphic encryption, alongside post-quantum cryptographic protections. Overseen by H.E. Faisal Al Bannai and Ion Stoica, this marks the first time UAE-developed cryptographic AI has been acquired and deployed globally by a leading US technology company. Why it matters: This acquisition strengthens OPAQUE's secure AI workflow capabilities and highlights the UAE's growing role in developing and exporting foundational AI technologies.
Cisco and KAUST have launched a new AI Institute located at the KAUST campus in Saudi Arabia. The institute will focus on AI research, development, and education, including AI-native communication systems and edge infrastructure for Industry 5.0. Cisco will donate its latest technology, including a Cisco AI POD. Why it matters: This initiative will foster AI innovation and develop a skilled AI workforce within the Kingdom, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 and the nation's digital transformation goals.
Researchers have developed a CNN-based deep learning model for predicting coastal flooding in cities under various sea-level rise scenarios. The model utilizes a vision-based, low-resource DL framework and is trained on datasets from Abu Dhabi and San Francisco. Results show a 20% reduction in mean absolute error compared to existing methods, demonstrating potential for scalable coastal flood management.
Francisco Rodríguez-Henríquez, Technical Director at TII's Cryptography Research Center, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR). He is the first cryptographer from the Middle East to join the IACR board. His three-year tenure aims to foster cryptography development in the Middle East through conferences and seminars, and promote openly accessible cryptographic software and hardware. Why it matters: This appointment signals growing recognition of Middle Eastern expertise in cryptography and enhances the region's role in shaping global cryptographic research and development.
Cryptography Research Center's Prof. Francisco Rodriguez-Henriquez and PhD candidate Jorge Chavez-Saab won a Best Paper Award ahead of Asiacrypt 2022. Their paper, "SwiftEC: Shallue-van de Woestijne Indifferentiable Function to Elliptic Curves," was written in collaboration with Mehdi Tibouchi of NTT. The paper presents an improved variation of the Elligator Squared technique for representing points of arbitrary elliptic curves as close-to-uniform random strings. Why it matters: The award recognizes important cryptographic research from the UAE, contributing to the advancement of secure digital solutions.
An MBZUAI team won the Cisco Sustainability Challenge with 'Energy for the People,' an AI-powered solution to improve the national energy grid. The system uses an AI-based rewarding system to motivate energy efficiency among residential energy consumers. The winning team received a six-month mentorship from Cisco experts to develop the project further. Why it matters: The solution addresses the UAE's Energy Strategy 2050 goals to reduce carbon footprint by 70% and increase clean energy consumption by 50% by leveraging AI for sustainable solutions.