There is no shortage of American brands in the UAE. From the golden arches of McDonald’s to Nike’s swoosh, the Emirates are a hotbed for US brands with consumption at an all-time high.
One key area where the trade relationship continues to thrive is technology. In the past five years imports from the United States have more than doubled from about US$11 billion in 2007 to more than $22.5bn last year. Most of this was in the form of advanced technologies – computers, electronics, airplanes and cars, all of which accounted for $13bn of total imports.
Total bilateral trade was $24.8bn last year. That figure had already topped $15bn in the first six months of this year, $3bn more than in the same period of 2012.
The state of California, which is home to such firms as Apple and Hewlett-Packard, exported $1.8bn to the UAE last year, which the US government says sustained more than 23,000 job . Top exports during the past couple of years include computers and related equipment.
“The United States enjoys a robust trade and investment relationship with the United Arab Emirates, including a significant investment in the technology sector. Last year, the US exported more than $22.5bn worth of products to the UAE, more than any country in the Middle East and more than our export relationship with India,” says Michael Corbin, the US ambassador to the UAE. “In 2013, we fully expect to increase upon this already historic trade relationship. In terms of the technology sector, we expect another robust year of growth.”
There are more than 1,300 US companies with an office in the UAE, the latest of which is Delta Faucet, which has chosen Dubai as its headquarters to manage a business worth $1bn across the region.
“For us, we see that products from the US are very well positioned here in the region, so a US brand has a very positive connotation,” says Hans-Juergen Kalmbach, the vice-president of Delta Faucet International. “We opened our office in Dubai because it is much easier to establish a business unit here.”
The UAE is not just a lucrative destination for US goods. Many brands and their products have contributed to evolving and stimulating the nation’s entrepreneurial and technology ecosystem.
Microsoft has partnered with the Ministry of Education to provide tools for UAE classrooms and companies such as Qualcomm and Intel provide capital and mentorship programmes to help young entrepreneurs.
“The nature of this part of the world is we’ve had to import a lot of technology and capability, but it is well recognised by the Government and the rulers that there is a need to build local skills, so we are trying to be part of that process by building local capabilities,” says Nassir Nauthoa, Intel’s general manager for the GCC. “We are not here just to import and sell stuff here.”
Nor is this just a one-way relationship. Over the past few years, the UAE has been investing quite heavily in the US, particularly in advanced manufacturing.
Du announced plans to establish a $111 million multi-service node in Los Angeles to allow global carriers to interconnect to the du network for internet services. In 2010, the Dubai-based Rubenius established a research and development centre in San Diego with labs for smart grid products and services with a $17.4m investment.
But perhaps the most notable of UAE investments in the US is in Saratoga, New York. In what has been dubbed as New York’s Tech Valley, the Mubadala Development subsidiary Atic has built a GlobalFoundries semi-conductor fabrication facility worth some $8bn.
This plant, known as Fab 8, will be able to produce 60,000 semi-conductor wafers per month. Each 300mm wafer undergoes an extensive process to produce a number of 28 nanometre and 20nm silicon chips, valuing the wafer between $10,000 and $20,000 at the end of the process.
To date, Atic reports that Fab 8 has directly generated more than 2,000 jobs and helped to create more than 8,000 indirect positions. By next year, those numbers are expected to increase to 3,000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs.
“All this development has a very real economic impact,” said Todd Shimkus, the president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “When taken in the context of a global recession, these statistics are truly remarkable.”
In the two years after the construction of Fab 8 began, between 2010 and last year, manufacturing income in the county has risen by 60 per cent to $180m, private income has risen by 8.8 per cent, the population has grown by 2.4 per cent and housing sales have gone up by 17 per cent.
“GlobalFoundries is now the manufacturing nucleus for the entire region, but making an ecosystem where the fab could thrive has been a generational effort,” says David Rooney, the senior vice-president for business development and marketing at the Center for Economic Growth, which supports the area’s development.“A successful ecosystem requires the close proximity of research, education, manufacturing, suppliers and a host of other entities. Bringing these companies together takes time and true dedication.”
This is a dedication that Abu Dhabi is determined to see through in a bid to diversify its economy and strengthen its ties with the US.
thamid@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
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Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
