The past week showed how the Emirates are building the future through radical automation of the hospitality sector and multi-billion-dollar investments in artificial intelligence. While authorities launched a citywide contactless check-in system for hotels, a massive data-center project the size of a quarter of Paris was rising in the Abu Dhabi desert.
Biometrics instead of reception queues
Sheikh Hamdan announced the rollout of a contactless check-in system across all hotels in the city. Guests upload their passport and biometric data through an app before arrival, and upon check-in undergo instant authentication via facial recognition. The data is stored until the document expires, turning repeat visits into a near-instant process. The technology will expand beyond hotels into car rentals and tourism services. Apartment owners receive a tool that changes the operating model:
- Reduced staffing costs through automation
- Fraud prevention via biometric verification
- Integration with property-management platforms
Short-term rental investors note that the ability to use a lease signing app in the UAE together with automatic tenant identification significantly simplifies documentation. Over the past 10 months, the city welcomed 15.70 million guests, a 5% year-on-year increase.
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Five gigawatts for artificial intelligence
Khazna Data Centers is building a campus that will consume five gigawatts – more than the entire country of Estonia. The area is equivalent to a quarter of Paris, and the coverage radius reaches 3,200 kilometers. OpenAI is managing the first phase with support from Microsoft, which will invest USD 15.2 billion by 2029. Oracle, Cisco and Nvidia are constructing infrastructure for Stargate UAE. Since 2024, the country has invested over USD 147 billion into AI. Developers are embedding infrastructure for AI-integration into new projects, closely following UAE commercial real estate news to adapt offerings to the evolving needs of technology companies.
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The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence has been training specialists since 2019, while the Falcon generative model shows performance comparable to Western leaders. Last month, the US approved the export of advanced Nvidia chips to the Emirates after intensive lobbying. Developers are incorporating AI-ready infrastructure into projects – from building-management systems to automated leasing processes. Tech companies are shaping demand for office spaces with built-in integration, shifting developers’ priorities.
Triple dividends and doubled investments
eToro introduced the UAE-Economy portfolio for retail investors starting at USD 500, offering a dividend yield of 3.75% compared to 1.15% for the S&P 500. Twenty companies across banking, real estate, energy and other sectors are selected based on liquidity and analyst consensus ratings. UAE investments in Kazakhstan doubled within six months. The countries are creating a technological hub to collaborate in:
- Artificial intelligence and 6G technologies
- Space projects and specialist-exchange programs
The Emirates are building an ecosystem where each component reinforces the next – from automated services to massive data centers in the desert.
