Make it in the Emirates: day three brings defense, maritime, and tech partnerships
It’s the third day of Make It in the Emirates, and we have bns of AED in new agreements from the likes of Adnoc, Tawazun Council, NMDC Energy, and the International Holding Company. (Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links to our background as well as external sources.)OIL AND GAS-Adnoc inks AED 6 bn local manufacturing agreements: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has signed AED 6 bn in framework agreements with 12 UAE-based manufacturers to locally produce pressure vessels and cables, state news agency Wam reports. The agreements fall under the UAE’s in-country value (ICV) program and are expected to create up to 1.3k skilled private-sector jobs.Who’s involved? The nine companies set to manufacture ten types of pressure vessels are Abu Dhabi Oilfield Services Engineering Industries, Euro Mechanical, Arabian Industries, Berg Industries, equipment manufacturer MetalFab Middle East, Micoda Process Systems International Company, pressure vessel manufacturer Nash Engineering, Polar Specialized Industries, and United Metal Works. Three cable manufacturers — Dubai Cable (Ducab), Mark Cables, and National Cables Industry — will produce four types of cables. …and where? Production will span industrial zones in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain, including ICAD, Kezad, Dubai Industrial Park, and Jafza. REMEMBER- Adnoc plans to procure AED 90 bn worth of locally manufactured products by 2030, as part of a broader push to inject AED 200 bn into the national economy over the next five years. Its ICV program — which incentivizes supply chain localization and foreign investment — has already contributed AED 242 bn to the UAE economy since 2018 and supported the hiring of 17k Emiratis in the private sector. #2- NMDC Energy signs pipeline MoUs with Al Gharbia, Jiangsu Juxin: NMDC Energy signed an MoU with Abu Dhabi-based pipe company Al Gharbia to expand pipeline manufacturing in the UAE, aiming to meet growing local and regional demand, according to an ADX disclosure (pdf). Meanwhile, its parent company NMDC Group inked a separate MoU with China’s Jiangsu Juxin Petroleum Steel Pipe to explore establishing fabrication facilities in the UAE for pipes used in the dredging sector, according to another bourse filing (pdf).DEFENSE-Tawazun and Thales to localize surveillance radar production: Tawazun Council and Thales have signed an agreement to manufacture ground master air surveillance radars in the UAE, according to a press release. Ground master surveillance radars are typically used to monitor activity around critical infrastructure areas like airports, oil refiners, and military bases.The timeline and details: The radar production facility, which will assemble, test, and qualify radars, is set to begin operations by 2027. The partnership includes plans to qualify UAE suppliers to strengthen the national industrial base.ALSO- The two companies agreed to support 20 local suppliers through a AED 600 mn package, with a focus on suppliers working in printed circuit board assembly, electromechanical systems, pre-assembled cabling, and precision machining, according to a separate statement. #2- Edge subsidiary taps South African firm for specialized vehicle production: Edge Group advanced equipment supplier subsidiary Trust inked an MoU with South Africa-based secure vehicle producer ADG Mobility to cooperate in the development of specialized protected vehicles in the UAE, according to a press release. Under the MoU, the pair will establish a framework to design, develop, and manufacture specialized ground systems equipment.CONSTRUCTION-#1- NMDC Energy and China’s Hilong sign MoU to explore UAE and Saudi ventures: NMDC’s engineering, procurement, and construction unit NDMC Energy inked an MoU with Chinese R&D-focused manufacturing firm Shanghai Hilong Shine New Materials (Hilong) to explore joint ventures in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with a focus on industrial coatings and anti-corrosion materials, according to a press release (pdf). Hilong focuses on oil country tubular goods, pipeline coating technologies, and concrete weight coating. No financial terms or timelines have been disclosed yet.#2- EEF partners with UCS on zero-waste construction system: Dubai Investments subsidiary Emirates Extrusion Factory (EEF) has signed an MoU with UCS Green Solutions Building and Construction Materials Trading to manufacture a green curtain wall system, which is designed to eliminate material waste during construction, according to a press release (pdf). EEF will serve as the exclusive manufacturer of the system, developed by UCS.LOGISTICS-Liwa Shipbuilding to deliver six landing craft for KFS: Abu Dhabi-based Liwa Shipbuilding has signed a AED 120 mn agreement with local ship operator Khaled Faraj Shipping (KFS) to build six large landing craft, Al Bayan reports. The vessels will support KFS’ regional and international logistics expansion, adding to its fleet of over 90 vessels. EVs-E Daddy partners with Robust on EV battery production: Electric mobility firm E Daddy has partnered with battery manufacturer Robust to produce battery packs for its E Daddy X7 electric delivery bike, according to a statement. AI-#1- G42 and WWT roll out AI accelerator Forge42: State-owned AI firm G42 and US-based World Wide Technology (WWT) have formed Forge42, a joint venture focusing on AI solutions for manufacturing, energy, logistics, healthcare, and finance, according to a press release. The firm will offer infrastructure for prototyping, testing, manufacturing, and deploying AI technologies, with plans to collaborate with Nvidia, AMD, Dell, and Microsoft to provide sovereign access to advanced computing resources, secure data systems, and modular testing infrastructure. This is the latest development in a busy week for G42, which has just announced a new partnership to develop an AI stack with Paris-based Mistral AI, signed an agreement with Italy’s iGenus to develop a supercomputer in Italy, and is set to build a 5 GW US-UAE data center in Abu Dhabi with US partners. The latter project, announced during US President Donald Trump’s recent visit, may receive a portion of the 500k Nvidia chips allocated annually to the Emirates under a US export agreement.#2- IHC launches UAE-built global AI marketplace: International Holding Company (IHC) launched a new AI marketplace designed to give developers direct, on-demand access to GPUs, large language models, and AI infrastructure, according to an ADX disclosure (pdf). The platform aims to lower entry barriers for AI development, with an “AI marketplace agent” supporting over 5k languages and is accessible via text, voice, or video. More details on the platform’s capabilities and international partnerships are expected in the coming weeks, the statement read.#3- Adio and e& enterprises partner up on Industry 4.0 initiative: e& enterprise will provide Abu Dhabi manufacturers with access to proof-of-concept technologies, workshops, and training programs on industrial sustainability, AI ethics, and data management to help boost sustainable manufacturing in the UAE, according to a press release. Companies will receive access to materiality assessments, AI maturity evaluations, a discounted digital platform for sustainability reporting, and discounted in-depth AI assessments. A digital platform will ease sustainability reporting.
Thursday, 22 May 2025