The UAE has launched a new Cyber Factory initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s cyber resilience, accelerating local cybersecurity capability development, and reinforcing digital sovereignty as cyber threats grow increasingly sophisticated across critical sectors.
The initiative was unveiled during the Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC) Global 2026 and is designed to support the UAE’s long-term ambitions around secure digital infrastructure, sovereign technology capabilities, and advanced cyber defence readiness.
According to officials, the Cyber Factory will focus on developing cybersecurity products, supporting local innovation, training national talent, and enabling collaboration between public institutions and private sector technology players. The platform is expected to contribute to the UAE’s wider digital economy strategy while reducing dependence on external cybersecurity ecosystems.
The launch comes as governments across the Middle East accelerate investments in cyber resilience amid rising concerns around ransomware, AI-enabled attacks, critical infrastructure protection, and geopolitical cyber risk.
The UAE has increasingly positioned cybersecurity as a national security and economic priority alongside its broader push into AI, cloud computing, smart cities, fintech, and digital government services.
Industry stakeholders at GISEC highlighted that cyber defence is becoming foundational to the region’s next phase of digital transformation, particularly as telecom operators, hyperscalers, banks, and government entities expand digital infrastructure footprints across the Gulf.
The Cyber Factory initiative is also expected to support startup development and local cybersecurity intellectual property creation, aligning with broader regional efforts to cultivate sovereign technology ecosystems rather than relying exclusively on imported cyber technologies.
The UAE has emerged as one of the Middle East’s most active markets for cybersecurity investment, driven by rapid digitisation, expanding attack surfaces, and increasing enterprise adoption of AI-enabled platforms and connected infrastructure.
Analysts note that sovereign cyber capability development is becoming strategically important not only for national defence but also for protecting critical digital assets tied to energy, telecoms, financial services, transportation, and smart infrastructure initiatives.
