Three global tech companies, including gaming giant Ubisoft, to establish hubs in Abu Dhabi 

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) announces its support for three innovative global companies as the UAE capital’s tech ecosystem begins 2023 in expansion mode. ADIO’s support of Ubisoft, Insilico Medicine and the Applied AI Company (AAICO) will enhance Abu Dhabi’s tech R&D and operational capabilities, building tech talent and infrastructure to spur innovation across sectors. 

The three companies are at the forefront of innovation in areas including artificial intelligence (AI) and gaming. Ubisoft is a prominent creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services. Insilico Medicine is a market leader in pharma technology that utilises AI for rapid drug discovery, synthesis and testing. AAICO is a UK-based technology company focused on building products to automate and enhance mission critical processes within the health and safety sectors. 

ADIO is providing comprehensive support and will work closely with each company to pioneer new technology and products in the UAE capital. The new partnerships boost the local innovation ecosystem, with ADIO supporting 12 tech companies over the last 12 months, including Noon, Siemens Energy, Liquidity Capital, Innovaccer and OurCrowd. 

Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi, Acting Director General of ADIO, said: “Abu Dhabi is starting 2023 as we ended 2022: by welcoming the world’s most innovative companies to the UAE capital. The increasing strength and depth of Abu Dhabi’s tech ecosystem is a magnet for global innovators who can easily access the talent, networks and markets they need to thrive. ADIO will work closely with Ubisoft, Insilico Medicine and AAICO to develop and commercialise new technology and products in the UAE that benefits the world.”

Ubisoft, headquartered in France, is one of the largest video gaming companies developing, publishing and distributing video games for consoles, PCs, and mobile. Ubisoft has been in Abu Dhabi for 10 years. The company has already developed, published and marketed several mobile games, with a new mobile game in development, from its gaming studio in Abu Dhabi which is now being established into a “Regional Hub” through its new offices in the Yas Creative Hub. 

“Ubisoft has made the decision to consolidate its presence in the MENA region by strengthening Ubisoft Abu Dhabi's role in its network as a regional development hub,” says Jean-Michel Detoc, Chief Mobile Officer, Ubisoft. “We are very happy to announce our strategic partnership with ADIO to support our ambitions in the region.” 

Insilico Medicine is a market leader in pharma technology that utilises AI for rapid drug discovery, synthesis and testing. Insilico Medicine has developed a full-stack proprietary Pharma     AI platform to rapidly discover drugs while decreasing R&D costs. Insilico Medicine has had success in delivering a pulmonary fibrosis drug to the clinical trial stage at record speed among other drugs in the pipeline that are in advanced stages of discovery. Insilico Medicine will be establishing its regional HQ in Abu Dhabi focused on R&D for its AI platform. The Abu Dhabi-based team will play a crucial role in patent applications and proprietary IP over the next four years.

“We are grateful for the support from ADIO and moving quickly to expand our presence in the region with the opening of the Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Center,” says Insilico Medicine founder and CEO Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD. “We look forward to tapping into regional tech talent and creating a true AI drug discovery hub in Abu Dhabi.”  

AAICO is a leading technology company focused on building products to automate and enhance mission-critical processes for the health and safety sectors. The company applies its proprietary AI platform to develop targeted machine learning-driven products which automate businesses involving manual or repetitive work, and position them for this new, AI-driven era. 

AAICO established an ADGM-based entity in 2022 and will relocate its global HQ from London to Abu Dhabi. In 2023, AAICO’s international tech leadership team will help develop Abu Dhabi’s talent pool, thereby contributing to the expansion of Abu Dhabi's tech ecosystem and the export of world-class AI products to the UK, North America and Europe. AAICO will also collaborate with Abu Dhabi-based universities, providing a range of tailored knowledge transfer initiatives, hackathons, exchange programmes, and internships.

“We are humbled by the support of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and honoured to partner with such leading UAE institutions to accelerate the development of cutting-edge AI technologies and capabilities in the region,” said Arya H. Bolurfrushan, Founder & CEO of AAICO. “We strongly believe in the Abu Dhabi 2030 Economic Vision, and the power of building a forward-thinking, efficient, and globally integrated business environment, underpinned by innovation. We will strive to empower the region with technology and help cement Abu Dhabi’s position as a global AI hub, with AAICO exporting its world-class capabilities to the world.” 

ADIO provides a range of support to innovation-led companies in high-growth areas including financial services, ICT, healthcare and biopharma, AgTech, tourism and more.