Google Cloud Summit Doha highlights rapid AI adoption across Qatar

Qatar’s adoption of cloud and artificial intelligence technologies is accelerating, with leading organisations deploying AI tools to automate operations and develop autonomous workflows, Google Cloud said at its Google Cloud Summit Doha 2026.

Held at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) to mark the third anniversary of Google Cloud’s Doha region, the summit brought together more than 2,000 technology executives, developers and strategic partners.

The event also saw the launch of the MCIT Innovation Lab (iLab) and the Google Cloud National Skilling Program, developed in partnership with the Qatar Digital Academy (QDA).

Qatar expands AI and cloud adoption

A key focus of the summit was the transition from experimental AI projects to agentic AI systems capable of setting goals, planning tasks and executing complex workflows with greater autonomy.

Google Cloud showcased how Gemini Enterprise can combine enterprise data and AI capabilities to help organisations move towards automated, AI-driven operations.

Sami Mohammed Al Shammari, Assistant Undersecretary for Infrastructure and Operations Affairs at Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), said the government’s framework agreement with Google Cloud provides a foundation for expanding cloud and AI adoption across the public sector.

He said cloud infrastructure is supporting the next phase of Qatar’s digital transformation and helping government entities integrate advanced and agentic AI capabilities into their operations.

MCIT launches AI Innovation Lab

Google Cloud and MCIT are expanding their five-year partnership through the newly launched MCIT Innovation Lab (iLab).

The facility provides developers, researchers and businesses in Qatar with an environment to test and develop AI projects. It includes a multimodal AI studio and integrates with Gemini Enterprise.

The lab is designed to support projects from early proof-of-concept stages through to enterprise deployment, giving organisations access to an environment where AI applications can be developed and tested.

National programme to create 50,000 learning opportunities

Google Cloud and the Qatar Digital Academy also launched the Google Cloud National Skilling Program, which aims to provide more than 50,000 learning opportunities across Qatar by 2030.

The programme will focus on three groups: the wider workforce, executive leaders and technical professionals.

Training will include foundational AI skills for employees, strategic AI development for business leaders and advanced technical programmes for developers.

Qatari organisations deploy Gemini Enterprise

Several major Qatari organisations showcased their cloud and AI deployments during the summit.

Ooredoo Qatar and Vodafone Qatar highlighted the use of no-code AI agents to automate internal network management.

In media and sports, beIN MEDIA GROUP and Aspire Zone Foundation demonstrated agentic AI applications for processing live broadcasts and translating athletic telemetry.

In the public sector, the Council of Ministers highlighted centralised data analytics infrastructure and an Enterprise Data Lake for executive reporting. Qatar Museums also launched the Grand Prix Gaming Portal on Google Kubernetes Engine to support interactive cultural heritage experiences.

AI expands across education and government

Qatar University is rolling out Gemini Enterprise for administrative governance and its Spark AI Research Hub, while the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) is using the technology to prototype specialised AI agents for energy, logistics and healthcare workflows.

The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) said AI tools are being used to shorten media production cycles, streamline legal and HR enquiries and support mosque imams with verified religious content.

The Civil Service and Government Development Bureau and the National Planning Council also highlighted the use of graph technology for workforce management and scenario forecasting.

Regional cloud ecosystem expands

Ghassan Kosta, Regional General Manager for Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Iraq at Google Cloud, said the company’s AI platform is designed to help organisations scale intelligent systems.

The summit also featured a partner exhibition and technical sessions covering data engineering, cybersecurity and machine-learning architectures, alongside hands-on labs and co-innovation workshops.

The developments highlighted at the summit reflect Qatar’s broader push to expand cloud infrastructure, AI adoption and digital skills as part of its national digital transformation agenda.