Abu Dhabi
During a meeting held in Abu Dhabi with a delegation from the Global Organization for Digital Sustainability Initiatives (GeSI) and a number of Chinese companies and institutions, the Arab Federation for Digital Economy discussed opportunities to develop projects and partnerships in the fields of sustainable digital infrastructure, data centers, artificial intelligence, energy and future technologies.
The meeting came as part of the delegation’s visit to the Federation to discuss opportunities for cooperation with the Arab region, and to explore areas in which Chinese technological and industrial expertise can be combined with the needs of Arab markets in developing digital infrastructure and sustainable technology projects.
The meeting was attended by His Excellency Dr. Ali Mohammed Al-Khouri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, His Excellency Dr. Othman Mohammed Al-Khouri, Member of the General Assembly, Dr. Ayman Mukhtar Ghoneim, Assistant Secretary-General of the Federation, Mr. Tang Tang, Director of the Federation’s office in China, along with Mr. Tim Feng, Senior Vice President and Head of the Asia Pacific Region at GeSI, and representatives of a number of Chinese companies and institutions.
The discussions covered opportunities for cooperation in developing data centers and digital infrastructure, renewable energy solutions and energy storage, cooling systems and energy consumption management, as well as artificial intelligence applications, robotics, communications and smart infrastructure.
The meeting also discussed the possibility of establishing a platform for technological cooperation between China and Arab countries, which would connect Chinese companies, solution providers, and technology providers with government agencies, telecommunications operators, developers, and investors in the Arab region, and help identify opportunities and projects that can be jointly developed and implemented.
Participants explored the possibility of launching pilot projects in the UAE across several priority sectors, with the aim of evaluating their results and potential for future expansion to other Arab markets. Discussions focused on selecting feasible projects with measurable economic, technological, and environmental impact.
The meeting also addressed cooperation in preparing specialized studies and exchanging experiences on the future of sustainable digital infrastructure, the requirements of data centers in light of the rapid growth in the use of artificial intelligence, and policies and technologies related to energy and sustainability in the digital sector.
His Excellency Advisor Dr. Ali Mohammed Al-Khouri stressed that the rapid growth in artificial intelligence and data centers imposes new requirements on infrastructure and energy, noting that the next stage requires investment and technological models that combine computing power, infrastructure security and continuity, energy management and sustainability within a single system.
He explained that cooperation with Chinese institutions and companies provides opportunities to develop practical projects that benefit from China’s industrial and technological expertise, and from the UAE’s advanced position as a center for investment, technology and digital infrastructure, with the possibility of transferring successful models and expanding them at the level of the Arab region.
The meeting also discussed linking a number of proposed initiatives to the work of the Arab-Chinese Digital Economy Summit scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China in September 2026, which would allow for the presentation of specific projects and cooperation opportunities to participating institutions and companies, and the expansion of Arab-Chinese partnerships in the digital and technological sectors.
The meeting comes as part of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy’s approach to building international partnerships that lead to viable projects and investments, and expanding Arab-Chinese cooperation in the fields of technology, digital infrastructure and energy, in a way that serves the economic and developmental priorities of Arab countries.
