Ankabut and Dell Technologies sign MoU to expand high-performance digital learning in the UAE

Ankabut and Dell Technologies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Abu Dhabi to expand high-performance digital learning across the UAE. The agreement, inked by Walid Yehia, Managing Director – South Gulf for Dell Technologies, and Tarek Jundi, CEO of Ankabut, will see Dell supply GPU-as-a-service capabilities, high-performance computing systems, client devices, workstations and infrastructure systems to support Ankabut’s education cloud and network platform. Operating from its data centre at Khalifa University, Ankabut will use the collaboration to broaden its role as a Cloud Solution Provider, enabling educational institutions to access scalable, accelerated computing resources for research and advanced learning.

Walid Yehia, Managing Director - South Gulf, Dell Technologies, said: “The UAE continues to set benchmarks for innovation in education through its commitment to technology-driven learning. Our collaboration with Ankabut aligns perfectly with this national vision, combining Dell’s advanced infrastructure solutions with Ankabut’s leadership in education networks to create a future-ready digital ecosystem for students, researchers and educators across the country.”

Context and deal details

The MoU formalises a partnership that targets data-intensive research and next-generation teaching tools by combining Dell’s infrastructure portfolio with Ankabut’s specialised education cloud services. Ankabut — described in the agreement as the UAE’s leading education cloud and network service provider — offers networking, virtualization, cloud, application services, security and managed support services from its state-of-the-art data centre at Khalifa University.

• Dell to provide GPU-as-a-service to accelerate computing workloads for academic research and advanced learning applications.
• Supply of high-performance computing systems to support large-scale computational tasks.
• Delivery of the latest client devices and workstations to modernise faculty and student endpoints.
• Ankabut to expand its Cloud Solution Provider capabilities, delivering flexibility and scale to the nation’s education sector.

The partnership is positioned as enabling secure, scalable and efficient technological infrastructures for universities and research institutions across the UAE. According to the MoU, these solutions will help institutions access GPU resources and high-performance computing without requiring large, upfront capital investments in specialised hardware.

Tarek Jundi, CEO, Ankabut, added: “This collaboration marks a pivotal step in advancing digital learning in the UAE. By integrating Dell Technologies’ advanced computing solutions with Ankabut’s cloud and connectivity expertise, we are empowering institutions to reimagine how education is delivered and experienced. Together, we’re enabling a smarter, more connected academic community that supports the UAE’s ambitions for a knowledge-based economy.”

Outlook

Both parties framed the agreement as supporting the UAE’s national vision for technology-first education and building a more connected academic community. The MoU aims to expand access to high-performance computing and GPU resources that, as the partners note, will “expand research frontiers, enhance teaching outcomes and foster innovation across the UAE’s education ecosystem.” Implementation details and timelines for rolling out the GPU-as-a-service and HPC systems were not specified in the announcement.