Scale AI is opening its first UAE office at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), located within the free zone’s Dubai AI Campus. Founded in 2016, the California AI firm provides training data and full-stack platforms to make AI systems more reliable for customers, including Meta, Cisco, Instacart and Nvidia. The expansion is part of Scale AI’s broader push to build sovereign AI capacity across the Gulf. As part of that effort, the company recently signed an MOU with Presight, part of the G42 ecosystem, to develop agentic AI in mission-critical environments.

Why This Matters

The UAE is building one of the world's first AI-backed governments, with American technology at its core. Scale AI’s decision to establish a permanent base in the UAE reflects the country’s “clear, ambitious vision for AI,” said Global Managing Director Trevor Thompson. DIFC offers a well-established tech ecosystem with innovative startup programs and world-class regulatory systems that ensure American AI can be deployed securely at scale.

“Making our home at DIFC is a long-term commitment…We are here to help UAE institutions build AI they can trust and use for their most critical use cases and important decisions.” — Trevor Thompson, Global Managing Director of Scale AI