In a landmark address at the World Government Summit, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, articulated a comprehensive national vision positioning the Emirates as a global leader in artificial intelligence and economic transformation. The speech, titled “The Impregnable Fortress,” has garnered international attention for its ambitious scope and strategic clarity.
Sheikh Saif revealed the UAE’s remarkable achievement of ranking first in 264 global competitiveness indicators, demonstrating the nation’s exceptional performance across multiple sectors. He highlighted the country’s magnetic appeal to global wealth, noting that 240,000 millionaires now call the UAE home, with their collective wealth exceeding $785 billion. This influx includes 9,800 new millionaire residents in 2025 alone, averaging 26 daily arrivals—a powerful testament to international confidence in the nation’s stability and future prospects.
The centerpiece of the address was the unveiling of the UAE’s complete AI strategy, structured as a five-pillar pyramid. This comprehensive framework includes:
1. Clean Energy: Establishing the foundation with global leadership in energy competitiveness (1st globally), concentrated solar power (4th), and nuclear energy (13th)
2. Chips: Developing custom AI hardware through strategic partnerships with US technology firms
3. Infrastructure: Building the physical backbone capable of supporting massive AI projects
4. Models: Creating native AI systems like MBZUAI’s K2Think, already ranking among top reasoning systems
5. Applications: Implementing practical AI integration across government and private sector services
Sheikh Saif announced the UAE’s strategic pivot from “oil producer to intelligence producer,” with ambitions to create an “intelligence factory” capable of generating 100 trillion tokens daily. This monumental effort involves global partnerships spanning nuclear energy cooperation with South Korea, chip design with American partners, and data center development with numerous international collaborators.
The economic transformation is already yielding extraordinary results, with non-oil foreign trade growing by 26% in the past year to exceed 3 trillion dirhams—achieving this milestone five years ahead of the 2030 target.
Beyond technological and economic achievements, Sheikh Saif emphasized the nation’s humanitarian commitment, noting the UAE’s position as the world’s third-largest humanitarian aid donor. He detailed extensive support for Gaza exceeding $3 billion (representing 46% of global aid), construction of six water desalination plants producing 2 million gallons daily, and treatment of over 870,000 medical cases.
The address concluded with a powerful reaffirmation of the nation’s social contract, defining the “impregnable fortress” as the unwavering protection of family, religion, industry, and wealth for all citizens. Sheikh Saif credited the nation’s leadership under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for steering this transformation while calling upon citizens to embrace their role as guardians of the nation’s future.