Facilitating more than 900 companies avidly innovating in the energy, space, and artificial intelligence sectors, Masdar City, is trying to address today's most renowned sustainability issue.
In February 2021, UAE successfully sent a spacecraft to Mars' orbit, making it one of only five nations in the world to have done so. This milestone is in conjunction with the UAE's innovation month and has become the highlight of Masdar City's progress towards the UAE Vision 2021.
The UAE Vision 2021 has mapped on six core pillars as their national priorities until 2021: world-class healthcare, competitive knowledge economy, safe public judiciary, cohesive society, preserved identity, sustainable environment, and infrastructure first-rate education system. Masdar City's space craft's recent release would eventually gather environmental data fundamental in solving climate change on earth.
Since its establishment in 2008, Masdar City has become a leading hub for innovation, research, and development, allowing practical solutions in energy renewal and artificial intelligence.
The city is committed to nurturing the next generations of entrepreneurs that would disrupt the current technology. Some of the companies plans are as follow:
1. G42 Healthcare - Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing
Group 42 (G42) is a leading AI and cloud computing company focusing on developing scalable technology solutions. G42 has recently launched the Omics Center of Excellence through G42 Healthcare as its latest initiative to explore Emiratis' genetic makeup by using state-of-the-art DNA sequencing and AI to generate fully comprehensive genomic data.
2. Azelio - Energy Storage Innovation
Azelio is a Swedish company dedicated to expanding the potential of solar energy by harnessing the sun's thermal power and conversing it to electricity. As the leading supplier of Stirling engine-based renewable energy solutions, Azelio aims to provide for numerous sectors worldwide by focusing on mobile solar electricity distribution.
3. The Catalyst - Technology Startup Accelerator
The Catalyst is Masdar City's first clean technology startup accelerator. Supported by British Petrol, they support innovative early-years startups through funding, training, and incubating them to better prepare for commercialization.
4. De L'Arta - A Circular Consumer Goods Producer
De'Larta aims to upcycle natural resources through the implementation of a circular economy. With the outdoor living laboratory launching, the company sustainably produces critical ingredients for skincare. It creates a soil regeneration program that allows coffee waste conversion to compost and transforms waste into food security solutions.
5. UAE Space Agency - Developing the National Space Sectors
The UAE Space Agency is a general federal authority responsible for organizing and developing the national space sector to support research and development projects in the space industry.
6. Volts Battery Storage - Smart Battery Management System
Volts produces an in-house intelligent battery management system for monitoring household consumption. The system is based on software that integrates with a mobile application and can align with a renewable energy source. The battery analyzes sophisticated behavioral patterns based on usage, allowing users to maintain the battery charge at a sufficient level within a period and enabling autonomous electricity supply.
The nation's attempt to advance the commercialization of renewable and sustainable technology depends on the growing companies' efficacy and the regulators' responsiveness. More so, they have proven that the country's 2021 vision is coming to life with more to offer in the upcoming years, centralizing innovation and disruptive technologies in the dynamic Masdar City.
