Abu Dhabi set to host major AI expo as global technology leaders gather for Ai Everything 2026

Abu Dhabi is set to host Ai Everything Abu Dhabi 2026, bringing together AI companies, investors, government entities and technology leaders from around the world as the emirate expands its focus on artificial intelligence, advanced computing and digital transformation.

The inaugural edition of the AI-focused expo and summit will take place from October 6 to 7 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. Organisers said the event is sold out and will feature participants from more than 60 countries.

Hosted by the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi (DGE), with Solutions+ as Global Partner, the event will showcase AI technologies, infrastructure and applications across government and major industries.

Global AI leaders to headline summit

More than 400 AI infrastructure companies, model developers, startups and AI unicorns are expected to participate, alongside more than 200 investors with combined assets under management of $91 billion, according to organisers.

The summit programme will feature more than 180 speakers, including Arthur Mensch, co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI, and Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics.

Discussions will cover sovereign AI, autonomous systems, agentic AI, AI infrastructure, digital transformation and the growing role of artificial intelligence in business and government.

The event comes as companies and governments increase their investment in AI infrastructure and applications, with organisers citing Gartner estimates that global spending on AI is expected to reach nearly $2.59 trillion in 2026, up 47 per cent from 2025.

Abu Dhabi showcases AI-driven government services

More than 50 UAE government entities are participating in the event, led by DGE.

The department is overseeing Abu Dhabi's programme to become an AI-native government by 2027 and has brought more than 40 government entities into a unified AI-driven ecosystem.

According to DGE, more than 100 AI use cases are already operational across government services, supported by a wider investment programme of $3.54 billion.

Wesam Lootah, Director General of GovDigital at DGE, said the emirate is using the event to demonstrate how AI can be integrated into public services and government operations.

The programme will include examples of AI applications across public services and provide an opportunity for international participants to examine Abu Dhabi's approach to AI-enabled government.

AI infrastructure and industry applications take centre stage

The expo will also focus on the infrastructure required to deploy AI at scale, including computing power, cloud platforms, enterprise software, AI agents and governance frameworks.

Solutions+, a Mubadala company, is participating as the event's Global Partner and will showcase applications involving AI, digital innovation and enterprise transformation.

G42 will also highlight its approach to building AI-native societies through what it describes as an Intelligence Grid, connecting infrastructure, technology capabilities and partnerships.

Other participating UAE organisations include the Advanced Technology Research Council, Technology Innovation Institute, Ministry of Investment, UAE Cybersecurity Council, Abu Dhabi Ports, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Hub71.

International technology companies including AWS, Alibaba Cloud, Cerebras, Cloudflare, Dell, HPE, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat, Seagate and Snowflake are also listed among the exhibitors.

UAE AI research on display

The Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research arm of Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council, will present research and AI applications developed across its research centres.

Its showcase will include demonstrations covering areas such as energy, materials, marine and maritime infrastructure, aerospace and autonomous systems.

TII will also highlight its Falcon family of large language models, including Falcon-H1 Arabic, which is designed around Arabic-language data and AI applications.

Another demonstration, GeoAI, uses machine learning to model subsurface geology in the northern UAE and is intended to support mineral exploration.

AI startups and unicorns join event

The event will also bring together a range of international AI companies.

Mistral AI will participate in the Abu Dhabi event for the first time, while ElevenLabs will showcase its AI-powered voice, audio and conversational technologies.

Across the summit and specialist conferences, speakers will examine issues including responsible AI deployment, autonomous systems, agentic AI, computing infrastructure and the governance of increasingly capable AI systems.

Training sessions and workshops will also cover multi-agent workflows, rapid prototyping, model development and emerging AI tools.

Organisers said the event is intended to move the discussion around AI beyond technology demonstrations towards practical deployment, economic applications and the development of AI-enabled services.