EDB Opens Dubai Hub to Boost GCC’s Sovereign AI Leadership
▼ Summary
– EnterpriseDB opened a new regional headquarters in Dubai during GITEX Global 2025 to strengthen its long-term commitment to the GCC region.
– The UAE and Saudi Arabia lead globally in sovereign AI adoption, with 17% of enterprises classified as “Deeply Committed” compared to the global average of 13%.
– EDB’s research shows regional enterprises achieve up to five times higher ROI from AI by prioritizing data and AI sovereignty as mission-critical.
– The Dubai office will serve as a collaboration hub with GCC governments, enterprises, and partners to scale innovation in sectors like finance and telecom.
– EDB Postgres AI enables regional enterprises to securely build and scale generative AI while maintaining full data control under strict sovereignty standards.
EnterpriseDB (EDB), a global leader in Postgres data and artificial intelligence solutions, has officially launched its new regional headquarters in Dubai. This move signals a major commitment to advancing sovereign AI capabilities across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations. The announcement was made during GITEX Global 2025, highlighting the strategic importance of the region in EDB’s worldwide growth plan.
Recent research from EDB reveals that businesses in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are at the forefront of sovereign AI adoption globally. The study, titled “Sovereignty Matters: A Global Blueprint for Sovereign, Agentic and Generative AI,” found that 17% of enterprises in these two countries are considered “Deeply Committed” to sovereign AI principles. This figure significantly outpaces the global average of 13%. These forward-thinking organizations are reportedly achieving up to five times greater return on investment from their AI initiatives compared to other companies.
Kevin Dallas, Chief Executive Officer of EDB, emphasized the strategic reasoning behind establishing a regional hub. He stated that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are creating a new international benchmark for digital leadership, with data sovereignty forming a central pillar. Dallas pointed out that regional executives who prioritize sovereignty in their data and AI strategies are seeing dramatically higher ROI. By setting up a base in Dubai, EDB aims to help businesses convert sovereign innovation into tangible, long-term value.
The new office will function as a central point for cooperation with government bodies, private enterprises, and channel partners throughout the GCC. A primary objective will be to cultivate alliances, support independent software vendors (ISVs), and develop omni-channel partnerships. EDB identifies these collaborative relationships as the key driver for accelerating innovation in critical sectors like financial services, telecommunications, and the public sector.
Kash Rafique, Vice President and General Manager for the Middle East and Africa at EDB, commented on the advantages of the Dubai location. He noted that Dubai provides not only close access to a growing customer base but also a dynamic partner ecosystem aligned with EDB’s vision. The potential for scaling impact, Rafique explained, comes from merging this local network with EDB’s specialized knowledge in sovereign data and AI. The collective goal is to support innovation across the Middle East and Africa while ensuring that companies retain complete control over their data.
EDB’s sovereign data and AI platform, known as EDB Postgres AI (EDB PG AI), is designed to enable regional enterprises to securely build, deploy, and scale both generative and agentic AI applications. The platform is built to comply with the stringent sovereignty standards set by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, giving organizations full authority over their data.
The expansion has been welcomed by key regional partners. Dharshana Kosgalage, Executive Vice President of the Software Solutions Group for the Middle East at Redington Group, expressed pride in collaborating with EDB as it grows its regional footprint. He highlighted that as GCC governments and businesses push forward with their agentic and generative AI roadmaps, such partnerships are essential for enabling secure modernization, accelerating AI adoption, and guaranteeing complete data sovereignty. These joint efforts are helping to cement the region’s position, and EDB’s new Dubai hub, as a central force in the GCC’s sovereign AI leadership.
For organizations interested in benchmarking their own sovereign AI progress and determining if they qualify as “Deeply Committed” leaders, EDB’s “Sovereignty Matters” report is available for download.
EDB Postgres AI (EDB PG AI) stands as the first open, enterprise-grade platform dedicated to sovereign data and AI. It offers a secure, compliant, and scalable solution that operates seamlessly on-premises and across various cloud environments. Constructed on Postgres, the world’s most trusted open-source database, EDB PG AI integrates transactional, analytical, and AI workloads. This allows organizations to operationalize their data and large language models without compromising control in sovereign environments. The platform is backed by a worldwide partner network and guarantees up to 99.999% availability. It also includes hybrid management tools and a built-in AI factory. EDB remains one of the most active contributors to the PostgreSQL project, demonstrating a profound commitment to the health and progress of the global open-source community.
(Source: MEA Tech Watch)
