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At the recent GITEX Global 2025, du once again demonstrated its technology leadership, showcasing how AI is shaping the present rather than just the future. In an interview with Gulf Business, Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO of du, outlines the company’s evolution into an “AI strategic partner” for enterprises, government entities, and the UAE at large.
From the launch of the sovereign AI Park and AI Factory to advances in 5.5G, edge computing, and sovereign cloud infrastructure, Al Hassawi explains how du is building the backbone for an AI-powered nation — combining cutting-edge infrastructure, strategic partnerships, and sustainable digital innovation to drive the UAE’s transformation.
du has been a consistent technology frontrunner at GITEX. What were this year’s headline innovations, particularly around AI, network evolution, and digital infrastructure that you unveiled at the event?
At GITEX Global 2025, du made a definitive statement about the present reality of AI with our theme: “AI’s not just the future. With us, it shapes your next step.” This positioning reflected du’s evolution from a traditional telecommunications provider into what we now call an “AI Strategic Partner” for enterprises, government entities, and the UAE.
Our headline innovation centred on a comprehensive four-layer technology stack that addresses a critical market gap where organisations struggle to fully integrate AI due to insufficient infrastructure. du’s unique value lies in end-to-end solution architecture, beginning with 5G+ connectivity as the foundation layer, moving through liquid-cooled data centres equipped with GPUs for AI workload consumption, advancing to our sovereign cloud platform that ensures data sovereignty and security, and culminating in the National Hybrid AI Platform that connects all these elements together.
du launched its AI Park and AI Factory initiatives, signalling a major step in operationalising AI. How are these initiatives designed to accelerate AI adoption across industries and what differentiates du’s approach from other telcos in the region?
The launch of du’s AI Park in Dubai marked a monumental step toward creating the UAE’s sovereign AI centre, featuring multiple liquid-cooled hyperscale data centres with a planned capacity of up to 1.5GW over time. The project extended beyond infrastructure development to include AI research laboratories, startup incubators, and a sovereign hybrid AI production cluster, creating an ecosystem where innovators could prototype, scale, and deploy solutions while maintaining full compliance with national security requirements. The five-year phased deployment plan demonstrated our commitment to building not just computational capacity but a full ecosystem.
Complementing this physical infrastructure was du’s AI Factory initiative, which showcased the practical application of human-AI collaboration across multiple industries. The exhibit featured humanoid robots, exoskeleton assistive technology, multi-arm collaborative robots with AI vision, and intelligent automation systems serving sectors from retail fulfilment to aviation catering. Real-world implementations with partners such as Union Coop, Unilever, and Emirates Post demonstrated how this hybrid workforce model enhances productivity while prioritising worker safety and maintaining human oversight in critical operations.
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5.5G was becoming the next frontier in connectivity. How was du preparing its network for this evolution, and what new capabilities will it unlock for enterprises, cities, and consumers in the UAE?
du’s preparation for 5.5G technology centred on a state-of-the-art innovation centre inaugurated in 2024, which served as the testing ground for 5G Advanced technologies and next-generation capabilities. Our investment strategy reflected a clear prioritisation of emerging technologies, with the largest allocation directed towards network expansion and enhancement that forms the foundation for advanced services including smart cities, robotics, and industrial automation.
Strategic investments in cloud infrastructure, particularly the multi-billion dirham hyperscale project with Microsoft, positioned du to deliver sovereign cloud and AI capabilities tailored to government and enterprise customers.
The integration of AI into network operations represented another significant advancement, with generative AI and analytics embedded across customer experience platforms, network management systems, and new digital services. Internet of things capabilities remained a crucial enabler, particularly for logistics and utilities sectors, supported by the expanding 5G and edge infrastructure that enables real-time data processing and decision-making at unprecedented scale.
Walk us through du’s broader network roadmap — from 5G expansion and fibre rollout to edge and cloud integration. What were the near-term priorities and how did they align with the UAE’s digital transformation agenda?
The roadmap centred on aggressive 5G network enhancement, with substantial investments in expanding both coverage and capacity to meet exponentially growing demand across consumer, enterprise, and government sectors. This 5G expansion served as the foundational layer enabling advanced applications such as autonomous systems, real-time industrial automation, and immersive digital experiences requiring ultra-low latency and massive data throughput capabilities.
The integration of edge computing capabilities into this enhanced 5G infrastructure created a distributed network architecture that brought computational power closer to end users and devices, dramatically lowering latency while enabling real-time decision-making for critical applications. This edge-cloud integration strategy was crucial to supporting the UAE’s smart city initiatives, where traffic management systems, public-safety networks, and environmental monitoring require instantaneous data processing and response.
du’s approach ensured that cloud resources could be dynamically allocated based on geographic demand and specific application requirements, creating a more resilient and efficient digital infrastructure adapted to varying usage patterns.
Fundamental to du’s strategic vision was the evolution of digital services—particularly the enhancement of du pay and comprehensive B2C and B2B platforms leveraging the expanded network capabilities. The company’s focus on ICT initiatives encompassed cloud computing, AI, data centres, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies that collectively formed a comprehensive digital ecosystem. This integrated approach allowed du to offer enterprises complete digital-transformation solutions rather than individual technology components, addressing the complex needs of organisations seeking to modernise their operations while maintaining security and compliance.
With the growing importance of hybrid and multi-cloud environments, how is du building infrastructure that balances performance, scalability, and cybersecurity, particularly for government and enterprise clients?
du’s approach to cybersecurity and data sovereignty addressed the importance of hybrid and multi-cloud environments through development of the UAE’s first sovereign hypercloud. This National Hypercloud ensured that sensitive data and critical applications remained within the country’s borders.
The company’s Cybersecurity Defence Centre offered round-the-clock security monitoring and incident-response capabilities, utilising advanced technologies from IBM and Microsoft to detect and mitigate threats in real time.
The “Digital Trust” strategy covered multi-layered security services including risk management, compliance assurance, and infrastructure protection across cloud environments. du’s Oracle Alloy platform enabled operation and customisation of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services from local data centres, while GPU-as-a-Service capabilities delivered through partnerships with Oracle and NVIDIA accelerated AI development for government and public-sector clients.
The expanding network of hyper-connected, secure data centres in locations including Dubai Silicon Oasis and Kizad in Abu Dhabi provided the redundant infrastructure required for mission-critical operations.
du has been expanding its partnerships with global technology leaders and hyperscalers. What role did these alliances play in advancing du’s AI, cloud, and 5.5G ambitions — and how did they feed into the broader innovation ecosystem in the UAE?
du’s transformation from connectivity provider to ecosystem enabler became evident through strategic partnerships with government entities, innovation hubs, and startup accelerators. Collaborations with the Department of Economy and Tourism, Ignyte, Sher’aa, and the Abu Dhabi Business Women Council created platforms that empowered SMEs to innovate and scale operations.
These partnerships directly supported the UAE’s ambitious target of achieving over 2 million SMEs by 2031 while positioning the nation as a global startup capital.
The company’s role went beyond infrastructure provision to include startup development programmes and strategic alliances that bridged public-policy objectives with private-sector execution. Through investments in AI, cloud services, and comprehensive digital platforms, du enabled emerging businesses to access enterprise-grade technology solutions previously available only to large corporations —democratising innovation and contributing to high-value economic activity across diverse sectors.
Sustainability remained a strategic pillar for du. How did you integrate energy efficiency, smart infrastructure, and sustainable practices into your network design — and what was your long-term vision for a greener, AI-powered network?
du’s sustainability strategy integrated environmental stewardship with technological advancement through three core pillars: enhancing community wellbeing, operating with ethical responsibility, and ensuring universal access to digital-services benefits. The company’s commitment to net-zero operations aligned with the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 initiative, while its liquid-cooled data-centre technology demonstrated how advanced infrastructure can be both powerful and environmentally conscious.
Strategic investments in digital talent-development through partnerships and training programmes ensured that the UAE’s workforce could fully leverage the AI and digital-transformation opportunities that du’s infrastructure enables.
Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, du’s roadmap emphasised continued 5G network enhancement, expanded digital services including its du pay platform, and deeper integration of ICT initiatives spanning cloud computing, AI, data centres, and cybersecurity.
This comprehensive approach positioned du not merely as a technology provider but as a fundamental enabler of the UAE’s digital-transformation agenda, where cutting-edge infrastructure meets national strategic objectives to create sustainable, inclusive economic growth powered by AI and advanced connectivity solutions.
