A recent report by KPMG has revealed that a remarkable 89 percent of technology leaders in the UAE are confident in their current technology’s ability to drive business growth and enhance organizational development, surpassing global counterparts by 16 percent. This confidence in tech positions the UAE as a global leader in tech innovation.
Mohamad Majid, Partner, Digital and Innovation at KPMG Lower Gulf, noted that the UAE’s digital transformation leaders are steadfast in their innovation priorities, setting a global example in areas such as strategic AI adoption, ESG prioritization, and cybersecurity.
Key Highlights:
- The report, titled “Tech Trailblazers: Navigating the Next Digital Frontier,” highlights the UAE’s strategic focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), with 53 percent of tech leaders in the UAE considering AI as a key driver for their short-term objectives.
- Other transformative technologies in focus include edge computing (43 percent) and quantum computing (41 percent), while the Metaverse, at 29 percent, is seen as an evolving concept.
- A significant 43 percent of tech leaders attribute their belief in AI’s potential to its demonstrated return on investment (ROI), with two-thirds of Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) crediting AI initiatives for significant increases in profitability.
ESG and Employee Satisfaction:
- The UAE is committed to using technology to address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities, with 87 percent of tech leaders confident in their technology’s ability to advance their organization’s ESG agenda.
- Furthermore, 86 percent of UAE tech leaders believe that their organization’s technology enhances employee satisfaction, well-being, efficiency, and cost reduction.
XaaS Adoption and Cybersecurity:
- The UAE shows strong belief in “Everything as a Service” (XaaS) technologies, with 84 percent of tech leaders considering the benefits worth the associated risks, outpacing global counterparts by 21 percent.
- Information security plays a crucial role, with 56 percent of tech leaders prioritizing meeting customer demands for enhanced data privacy and cybersecurity.
Challenges and Future Vision:
- Challenges include underdeveloped data management strategies (47 percent) and limitations of legacy technology (43 percent).
- The report envisions a holistic digital evolution across industries in the UAE, reshaping the future of education, healthcare, tourism, manufacturing, and ESG, aligning with the nation’s centennial 2071 ambitions.
