@techsomame

Showcasing tech, innovation, and digital transformation across the Middle East. #Innovation #tech

 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
techsoma.me
Joined October 2024
  • Tweets1.3K
  • Following164
  • Followers36
268Media
The US just moved the UAE into Country Group A:5, its most favourable export control category. Approved UAE entities can now buy advanced AI chips from Nvidia, AMD and Cerebras without individual licenses. Read more: techsoma.me/2026/07/14/us-ea…
1
238
The old policy pushed the UAE toward Chinese suppliers. This one keeps sensitive tech within the American ecosystem while opening a major new market. Nvidia's stock jumped 4%, pushing its market cap back above $5 trillion.
1
215
The 270-day clause matters. License-free access for G42 and Core42 expires unless they "become US companies." This isn't a blank check. It's conditional access tied to deeper American involvement.
1
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Communications and IT has launched a national AI training programme covering 10 regions across the Kingdom, in partnership with Google Cloud. But this is just one layer of a much bigger strategy. Read more: techsoma.me/2026/07/14/saudi…
1
227
SAMAI has already trained over 1 million Saudi citizens in AI. Two-thirds of Saudi government workers now use AI tools daily. The Cabinet declared 2026 the Year of Artificial Intelligence.
1
206
AWS is investing $5.3B in a dedicated cloud region. Microsoft's Saudi data centre goes live in Q4 2026. Hexagon Data Centre is the world's largest government-run facility at 480MW. The Kingdom projects AI could contribute $135B to GDP by 2030.
68
Saudi AI infrastructure startup Think has raised over $8M in pre-seed funding, the largest AI infrastructure round in MENA to date. Co-led by RAED Ventures and Wa'ed Ventures, Aramco's wholly-owned VC. Read more: techsoma.me/2026/07/15/saudi…
1
226
The tech claim is significant. Think says its platform hits GPU utilisation above 90% in production, vs industry averages of 30-50%. Per-million-token costs are nearly 10x lower than frontier models, using widely available GPUs.
1
5
The pitch: customers want AI without the rising costs, security concerns, and dependence on hyperscale cloud providers. The next AI leaders will be defined as much by infrastructure as by the models built on top of it.
Jordan's ISSF has invested $5M in STV's AI fund, opening what both sides call an "AI corridor" between Jordan and Saudi Arabia. STV also committed to invest in Jordanian AI startups in return. Read more: techsoma.me/2026/07/14/jorda…
1
26
The regional context matters. MENA AI startups raised $858M in 2025, nearly double the previous year, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE captured 87% of it. Jordan wants a seat at that table.
1
1
STV's fund, backed by Google, focuses on applied AI, not foundation models. For Jordan's engineering talent, that's a strong fit. You don't compete with Silicon Valley on models. You win on applications.
1
Egyptian fintech Valu has launched the country's first instant cashback loyalty programme for payments, moving away from traditional point-based rewards. Cashback lands immediately after an eligible transaction; no accumulation needed. Read more: techsoma.me/2026/07/13/valu-…
1
6
The programme covers interest-bearing transactions, zero-interest plans, the Spark'IT programme and existing cashback campaigns. Cashback stays valid for one year, giving users flexibility on when to redeem.
1
6
The bet is on immediacy. In a market where BNPL and digital payments are getting more competitive, stripping out friction from rewards is how you keep users coming back.
3
Khalifa Fund has launched the second edition of its Prompt Engineering programme for Abu Dhabi entrepreneurs, helping founders build and validate startup ideas using AI tools with no coding background required. Read more: techsoma.me/2026/07/13/khali…
1
7
Participants build working prototypes and prepare go-to-market kits using what Khalifa Fund calls the "Lean AI Canvas" methodology. The core thesis: prompt engineering now functions as the new coding.
1
6
For Abu Dhabi's startup ecosystem, this widens the pool. Founders with strong business ideas no longer need to hire developers or learn to code to test them. AI fluency is becoming a baseline requirement, not a specialised skill
5
Cloudflare has launched Precursor, a new AI bot defense engine that continuously validates user behaviour instead of relying on one-time checks like CAPTCHAs. Bot traffic now accounts for 57% of all web requests globally. Read more: techsoma.me/2026/07/14/cloud…
1
6
The old model checks you once at the door. Precursor watches the entire session. Bots can't just clear cookies or refresh to reset their risk score anymore.
1
2
For Gulf and African markets scaling e-commerce, digital banking and government services fast, this matters. AI bots are getting better at mimicking humans. Static defences aren't keeping up.
2
Load more