The UAE’s role in the AI boom gets the spotlight: The UAE is positioning itself as a leader in AI infrastructure, with long-term investments designed to secure an edge over the next five to ten years, AI Minister Omar Al Olama told CNBC (watch, runtime: 4:50). Al Olama highlighted the UAE’s highly valuable logistics data as a key asset in building advanced AI models. The country’s bns of USD worth of investments are going towards building “big AI infrastructure” in the UAE, Bain Capital advisor Stephen Pagliuca told Bloomberg (watch, runtime: 6:54), adding that AI will eventually get integrated into every industry.

Meanwhile, Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei shrugged off the impact of China’s DeepSeek on demand for nuclear energy, Reuters reports.

ALSO- The UAE’s sugar refineries are operating below capacity, as is the case with sugar facilities across the Middle East, Bloomberg reports, citing the Managing Director of Al Khaleej Sugar Jamal Al Ghurair. The lower capacity has been attributed to a decrease in profitability due to greater production by Thailand, Europe, and India and an increase in new refineries in the region, which has led to overcapacity. Al Khaleej operated at 70% capacity in 2024, producing 1.6 mn tons of sugar, but output may decline this year, Al Ghurair said.

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