India-UAE ties moving from co-investment to co-innovation and AI: UAE special envoy

Lead

The India–UAE partnership is shifting from a focus on co-investment to deeper co-innovation and collaboration in artificial intelligence, advanced computing and digital infrastructure, Badr Jafar, the UAE's special envoy for business and philanthropy, said during a visit to Delhi. Jafar, who is also the CEO of Crescent Enterprises, outlined concrete trade and investment milestones and new strategic priorities that position the UAE-India corridor as a creator — not just a consumer — of next-generation technologies.

Direct quote

"Together, we are exploring cooperation in advanced computing capacity, data centres and AI-enabled services — positioning the UAE-India corridor not merely as a consumer of AI, but as a co-creator of its next phase," Jafar told The Economic Times.

Context and details

Jafar pointed to institutional groundwork already laid by the UAE to accelerate AI adoption: the appointment of the world's first minister of state for AI in 2017 and the establishment of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in 2019. He noted that AI is expected to contribute about 14% to the UAE's gross domestic product by 2030.

On the investment side, Jafar highlighted CE-Invests — the strategic investments platform of Crescent Enterprises — which in November announced plans to deploy AED 1 billion (about $272 million) over the next three years across high-growth markets in India, Southeast Asia and Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Jafar also framed these moves within the wider economic corridor created by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). "When the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was signed in 2022, it set a target of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. That milestone was reached last year, five years ahead of schedule," he said, adding that leaders at a recent presidential meeting have since doubled the ambition to $200 billion by 2032.

• Non-oil trade between India and the UAE grew nearly 20% last year to reach $65 billion.
• UAE investors have deployed more than $22 billion in India across infrastructure, healthcare, financial services and renewables.
• Indian investments in the UAE exceed $16 billion, with companies building manufacturing facilities, relocating production lines and establishing regional headquarters.

Beyond AI and data infrastructure, Jafar identified other priority sectors for joint development: advanced manufacturing and low-carbon industries, clean energy and grid-scale storage, digital infrastructure and fintech rails, healthcare innovation and biopharma supply chains, and smart logistics and trade platforms.

Outlook

With ambitious bilateral trade targets now reset to $200 billion by 2032 and significant public- and private-sector commitments, the India–UAE corridor is being positioned as a strategic hub for technology co-creation. Jafar's emphasis on joint investment in data centres, advanced computing and AI-enabled services signals a deliberate move to build regional industrial and digital capabilities that could anchor future collaboration across energy, finance, healthcare and logistics.