Abu Dhabi will be home to a microchip fabrication plant within four years, and will bost of semiconductor industry workforce of up to 40,000 people by 2030, a leader of the emirate's drive into high technology said yesterday.
"Give us about four years and you'll see the first foundry," Waleed al Muhairi, the chairman of the Advanced Technology Investment Company (Atic), said during a speech to an energy conference in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
And the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is already partnered with the Emirate's Masdar renewable energy city, could play a key role in the development of a local semiconductor industry.
Mr al Muhairi, who is also the chief operating officer of Mubadala, said such an industry would require major advances in the country's eduction system. In the United States, MIT plays a central role in the national technology ecosystem. "We need designers, process engineers and material scientists, and we're going to have them," Mr al Muhairi said.
MIT's provost, L Rafael Reif, said on the conference sidelines that MIT would explore collaboration with Abu Dhabi in additional sectors.
Atic owns a controlling stake in Globalfoundries, a semiconductor maker that is ran as a joint venture with AMD, the world's second largest computer chipmaker. Mubadala is AMD's largest shareholder, owning 20 per cent of the company.
Globalfoundries currently operates a semiconductor foundry in Germany, and broke ground earlier in the year on a second facility in the state of New York. The American president, Barack Obama, visited the site in September, singling it out as an example of how advanced technology will play a central role in America's economic future.
Atic recently acquired Chartered Semiconductor, a Singaporean chipmaker, and said it would integrate the business into Globalfoundries, creating what will be the world's second largest chipmaker. The move puts the business into tighter competition with Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest manufacturer.
"We're going head to head with TSMC, so we're going to fight it out," Mr al Muhairi said. "We think most of the other foundaries are going to disappear over time."
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
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Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Sri Lanka squad for tri-nation series
Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Janith Perera, Thisara Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Shehan Madushanka, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan and Wanidu Hasaranga
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
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Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon