American AI company lands in Dubai

SparkCognition, a US-based supplier of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, has opened an office in Dubai as part of a global expansion program that is targeting the Middle East.
Omar bin Sultan Al-Olama, UAE minister of state for AI, said the move cemented Dubai’s vision in becoming a leading hub for cutting-edge technology in AI, part of a strategy that was about building global relationships, he said.
Amir Husain, CEO of SparkCognition, said the opening of a regional hub in UAE showed “we share their vision of rapid and exponential technological advancement”.
Husain added that a relationship with SparkCognition would bring the firm’s industrial Internet of things AI platform “to our clients and partners in the region.”
SparkCognition has recently forged a high-tech alliance with Boeing — a bonus as Boeing had a “strong, established presence in the Middle East and Africa,” said the Texas-based company.
Bernard Dunn, president of Boeing Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, said: “SparkCognition is deploying leading AI technology solutions that are critical to many industries on a global scale. Boeing is excited to see them quickly expand into the Middle East.”
Dunn said the UAE had clear goals to be an innovation and technology leader, investing in AI, 3D printing, robotics, and autonomous systems.
“SparkCognition’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology and business-critical solutions will prove invaluable to the forward- looking leaders of the UAE, and many others in the region,” said Dunn.