For the past decade, founders building in AI, cyber, autonomy, or industrial software who wanted GCC exposure had a relatively straightforward game plan: set up an office in Dubai, talk to a few sovereign funds, and treat the wider Gulf as a collection of separate bilateral relationships. That model is becoming outdated.

Recent events have accelerated something that was already in motion: a more coordinated approach to collective security, shared infrastructure resilience, and technology development that is reshaping how Gulf states procure, partner, and invest in dual-use technology.

The Cooperation Shift
GCC foreign and defence ministers have entered a more structured phase of collective coordination, with shared cyber resilience, border security, and energy infrastructure protection emerging as priority areas. Dual-use companies in critical defence and resilience technologies that can serve the GCC corridor — rather than a single country — are now a more attractive venture development partner.

The Indigenous Capacity Premium
Saudi Arabia’s long-term defence trajectory points to sustained indigenous capability building, with local reporting suggesting a target of 50% localised defence spending by 2030. Dual-use technologies in sensors, software, autonomous systems, and energy infrastructure play important supporting roles. Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) have increasingly used co-development and localisation-focused partnerships with international firms — changing the nature of the commercial relationships available to dual-use ventures entering the market.

AI as Critical Infrastructure
The UAE and Qatar are bolstering their roles as regional AI and data hubs through targeted national strategies and investments. Qatar’s National AI Strategy, the launch of Qai as its national AI company, and a $20 billion Qai-Brookfield joint venture for AI infrastructure exemplify this push. Meanwhile, the UAE Cybersecurity Council’s policies underpin Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s positioning as coordination points for GCC-wide security and energy systems.

The Key Players to Know
SAMI (Saudi Arabia) and EDGE Group (UAE) — structured to co-develop and localise technology, bringing international ventures in as development partners rather than simply vendors
PIF, Mubadala, ADQ, and QIA — sovereign funds with mandates increasingly overlapping with national security and resilience priorities
Saudi Arabia’s National Security Authority and UAE Cybersecurity Council — active programme managers with budgets and partnership frameworks
Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, QatarEnergy, DP World, and Abu Dhabi Ports Group — sophisticated buyers of operational technology, industrial software, and cyber capability