99% of UAE execs say the speed of innovation has accelerated

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Ninety-nine per cent of UAE executives believe that the pace of innovation in their organisations has accelerated over the past three years, against the global average of 94 per cent, according to a new report.

UAE has outpaced global averages in many technology-driven areas, as per the report released by Dublin-headquartered professional services firm Accenture.

“Compared to other parts of the world, this region - especially the UAE - is embarking fast on new technologies that will shape the future and society,” Xavier Anglada, managing director and digital lead at Accenture in the Middle East and Turkey, told The National.

“The UAE has made massive investments on setting up data centres, attracting global cloud players and setting up its own cloud infrastructure … giving it an edge over other Mena countries.”

There has been big appetite for digital transformation in the UAE, backed most recently by the government’s UAE Artificial Intelligence 2031 strategy and a slew of other initiatives.

In 2018, the UAE Central Bank announced its cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority to work on a digital currency that will facilitate financial transactions between the two countries. Last month, the Roads and Transport Authority announced a proof of concept driverless vehicle had been successfully tested, bringing Dubai one step closer to its goal of a fleet of driverless taxis.

Nine in ten UAE respondents say that digital innovations have become part of the core foundations for their organisations, whereas globally 79 per cent agreed that is the case.

Accenture conducted a survey of 6,672 business and IT executivesin 27 countries to capture insights into the adoption of emerging technologies worldwide.

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