Strata, Mubadala Investment Company’s aerospace unit, has signed a partnership agreement with two Germany-based advanced technology companies to develop the world's most energy-efficient residential air-conditioning system in the UAE.
Strata, AI-based engineering platform Hyperganic and industrial 3D printing company EOS will the produce the AC system that is set to be 10 times more efficient than the standard alternatives available on the market, companies said on Monday.
The move is in line with the UAE’s strategy to further develop its industrial sector through the adoption of advanced technology and create manufacturing champions in the Arab world’s second-largest economy.
Strata chief executive Ismail Abdulla, Hyperganic founder and chief executive Lin Kayser and EOS senior vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa Markus Glasser, signed the agreement at an event in Abu Dhabi.
The signing ceremony was also attended by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), and Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Future Technology.
Under the agreement, Strata will combine Hyperganic's algorithmic engineering with the industrial metal 3D printing process pioneered by EOS to produce the most efficient heat exchange system for domestic air conditioning that will be “highly coveted in global markets”.
The three companies plan to showcase project updates at the Cop28, which is set to be hosted by the UAE in 2023. The partners plan to move the project, currently at proof of concept stage, to the feasibility study and working prototype stage by the time Cop28 takes place, company officials said.
“The [MoIAT] aims to develop a national industrial ecosystem able to create the kind of partnerships that develop and manufacture innovative local products,” Dr Al Jaber said.
“This exciting new technology is an ideal example of innovation driving sustainable development and creating a positive economic impact.
“The partnership between Hyperganic, EOS and Strata demonstrates how the UAE’s manufacturing sector can develop and launch home-grown products that are globally competitive and cater to demand in domestic and international markets.”
The development of competitive and marketable products in the UAE is under the auspices of an ecosystem of “enablers, incentives and unique advantages” that are hastening the growth of the UAE’s industrial sector and are delivering a “positive impact on the national economy”, Dr Al Jaber said.
Mubadala is playing a key role in reinforcing the UAE’s energy and sustainability strategy and the partnership between Strata, Hyperganic and EOS "is testament to the strength of a 'Made in the Emirates’ brand, through Strata’s emphasis on embracing digital transformation", Musabbeh Al Kaabi, chief executive of UAE Investments at Mubadala Investment Company, said.
"Our collaboration with Hyperganic and EOS is in line with Strata’s new strategy to expand its business beyond the aerospace sector," he said.
The growing use of air conditioners in homes and offices around the world will be one of the top drivers of global electricity demand over the next three decades, according to the International Energy Agency.
The Paris-based agency projects that energy demand for air conditioning will triple by 2050, underscoring the need for systems that use less power to reduce the environmental impact.
The global stock of air conditioners in buildings will grow to 5.6 billion by 2050, up from 1.6 billion units in 2018, which amounts to 10 new ACs sold every second over the next 30 years, according to IEA estimates.
The partnership is in line with the UAE’s “Operation 300bn” industrial strategy, which was unveiled last year to boost sustainable development and position the country as a global industrial centre by 2031.
The 10-year comprehensive road map focuses on increasing the industrial sector's contribution to the country's gross domestic product to Dh300 billion ($81.7bn) by 2031, from the current Dh133 billion.
The strategy focuses on boosting production in 11 priority sectors, supporting the growth of national industries, attracting foreign investment, modernising legislation and ensuring availability of dedicated financing for local industrial companies.
With this project Strata is moving into the "business of making air conditioning more efficiently", Mr Abdulla told The National on the sidelines of the signing ceremony. "Our intention is to produce produced these heat exchangers and sell them worldwide to air conditioning companies. Our play is technology innovation and technology development and deployment."
The partnership is a "real leap for Strata", which is investing in Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and building new avenues for industry.
"We will start licencing the technology to companies worldwide and then we own the IP [intellectual property] and that's the most important thing that the IP will be created from the UAE and will be owned by the three companies," Mr Abdulla said.
In March, Strata, whose core focus remains on the aerospace sector, announced plans to expand its advanced manufacturing capabilities to include more industrial segments as part of its new long-term strategy.
The company plans to focus on opportunities in a range of high-tech sectors such as biopharmaceuticals, digitisation, automation, AI and the manufacturing of advanced materials, it said at the time.
Strata pivoted to health care in May 2020 when it began to produce N95 masks in partnership with Honeywell after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, as part of the government’s push to promote local healthcare manufacturing.
The partnership between Hyperganic, EOS and Strata demonstrates how the UAE’s manufacturing sector can develop and launch home-grown products that are globally competitive and cater to demand in domestic and international markets
Dr Sultan Al Jaber,
UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology
Ms Al Amiri said the partnership represented a “a great addition to the UAE’s industrial ecosystem” and reaffirmed MoIAT's role in promoting collaboration, especially in the industrial sector, between UAE companies and innovative global companies that are developing advanced technology and Fourth Industrial Revolution solutions.
Hyperganic, which has offices in Germany and Singapore, said on Monday that it will open its engineering office in the UAE next month.
It plans to grow the size of the team to 20 engineers by the end of 2023.
Mr Kayser said the UAE was a place “where the best talent works and the country's vision for the future is uniquely clear in today's world”.
However, it will take hard work all the way until the project is realised, he said.
"I think we have our work cut out for this one for the next two years or so ... [to] have it really available at full scale," Mr Kayser said.
"I think it doesn't get more game-changing than that. So if we are successful, and we hope to be, then this will change the entire market for air conditioning systems," Mr Mr Kayser told The National.
Sustainability, according to EOS, cannot succeed without deeply integrating engineering and manufacturing.
Mr Glasser said his company would work closely with its UAE partners to significantly advance state-of-the-art technology.
"We believe we can make an impact and we really want [it ] on [a] big scale, not only in the UAE ... [and] there are many countries that we want to roll this out [in]," said.
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
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Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
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