الصحراء تتحول رقمياً: كيف تصمم دبي مركزاً عالمياً للروبوتات والأتمتة

Dubai is pivoting from technology importer to global developer with a concentrated push into robotics and automation. Launched in late 2022 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Dubai Robotics and Automation (R&A) Program sets an explicit target to raise the robotics sector’s contribution to Dubai’s GDP to 9% within the next decade and to deploy 200,000 robots over 10 years. The programme, built on three pillars — governance, support for R&D and active adoption of new technologies — focuses on strategic areas including Production and Manufacturing, Consumer Services and Tourism, Healthcare and Connected Mobility, and Logistics, and aims to place Dubai among the top 10 global cities for robotics and automation.

“Industry leaders often highlight an ‘execution gap’ between possessing AI tools and successfully integrating them into live operations,” the source observes, underscoring why the programme stresses regulatory, legal and human-capital readiness as much as hardware deployment.

Projects and players driving deployment

Logistics is emerging as the sector’s immediate proving ground. Trade enabler DP World, in partnership with specialist DGWorld, is introducing Autonomous Internal Terminal Vehicles (AITVs) at Jebel Ali Port, integrating them in phases into existing ITV fleets to digitalise port workflows. UAE companies are also building heavy-duty solutions: Micropolis Robotics unveiled an Autonomous Logistics Platform at UMEX 2026 built on a 400V high-voltage battery architecture capable of carrying 4–5 tonnes of payload and operating for up to 18 hours per mission cycle.

• BFL Group (Brands For Less) deployed 156 robots at its JAFZA facility in early 2022 to automate warehouse operations and e-commerce logistics, and later extended projects into Saudi Arabia with another 130 robots and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Riyadh.
• Dia Industries, founded in 2024, is developing AI-powered humanoid robots intended for practical use in warehouses and shopping centres rather than experimental demonstrations.
• ENATA Group operates a 7,000 square metre facility using 7-axis CNC machines and robots with 0.001cm precision to build products from contest-winning drones to advanced racing boats, demonstrating local vertical integration in control systems and software.
• Falcon Eye Drones has logged more than 10,000 flights across the Middle East and Africa, expanding drone usage beyond photography into oil and gas, 3D mapping, aerial surveys and smart-city infrastructure.

Outlook

Dubai’s roadmap addresses more than hardware procurement: it aims to close the “execution gap” by pairing deployments with regulation, workforce development and collaborative R&D. The emphasis on local capability — from multi-ton autonomous logistics platforms to humanoid assistants and ultra-precise manufacturing — reinforces what the report describes as a move toward “sovereign innovation.”

If the programme meets its goals, the next decade could see automation woven into ports, warehouses, retail and public services across the UAE and the wider region, with homegrown companies and joint public-private initiatives setting regional standards for deployment, maintenance and regulation of robotic systems.