Abu Dhabi's $13 billion AI strategy to build world’s first fully automated government

Abu Dhabi has unveiled a AED 13 billion investment plan to transform its public sector into the world’s first fully AI-native government across all digital services by 2027, the Department of Government Enablement (DGE) said. The Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy, scheduled for 2025–2027, aims to deploy more than 200 AI solutions, achieve “100% adoption of sovereign cloud computing,” and roll out a unified digital enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to integrate government functions.

"AI for All" programme is one of the key components of the strategy, the DGE said.

The initiative combines large-scale technology financing, infrastructure upgrades and workforce development. The DGE’s published plan allocates AED 13 billion between 2025 and 2027 to technology development, infrastructure and digital transformation, and sets targets that include the end-to-end digitisation and automation of government operations. Officials expect the programme to contribute more than AED 24 billion to Abu Dhabi’s GDP by 2027 and create over 5,000 jobs, particularly in digital services, artificial intelligence and technology-related fields.

Key elements of the digital strategy

• Technology roll-out: more than 200 AI solutions aimed at reducing manual processes and improving efficiency across departments.
• Cloud and platforms: a push for "100% adoption of sovereign cloud computing" and development of TAMM 3.0 as the government’s digital backbone.
• Systems integration: development of a unified ERP to consolidate government functions onto a single platform.
• Workforce and research: the "AI for All" training programme and collaborations with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence to upskill staff and support research.
• Partnerships: engagement with the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) on large language model research and technology partners such as G42 to build AI capabilities.
• Security: strengthened cybersecurity frameworks to protect systems and data across departments.

Collaboration with academic and research bodies sits at the centre of the plan. The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence will support upskilling programmes and research, while the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) is assisting in research for large language models and other sophisticated AI technologies. Private-sector technology group G42 is also named as an active participant in developing Abu Dhabi’s AI and digital capacities.

Government platforms are being retooled for the AI era: the report highlights development of TAMM 3.0, envisioned to serve as an advanced, cloud-native backbone for digital citizen services and internal workflows. The strategy follows earlier phases of digitisation in the emirate — from e-government to smart government — and now seeks to operationalise artificial intelligence across service delivery.

Officials argue the plan balances ambition with resilience: alongside automation targets and economic projections, the strategy includes a focus on cybersecurity to secure data and maintain reliable digital operations. With a multi-billion-dirham commitment, Abu Dhabi is positioning itself to not only automate public services but to incubate an AI-skilled workforce that can support sustained digital transformation.