Media Center
NEWS RELEASE
17 July 2010, Abu Dhabi
Houssam Kablawi
Tel: +971 50 4415126
e-mail: houssam.kablawi@edelman.com
Ibrahim Ajami, CEO, Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC):
Ibrahim Ajami, CEO, Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC):
Play your part at the cutting edge: tomorrow’s technology, today in Abu Dhabi
Semiconductors and microsystems are the technological backbone of modern technology. They’re in our mobile phones, our MP3 players, our cars and our televisions, technologies that have revolutionized the way we live our lives. Worth an estimated US$270billion globally, advanced technology is the enabling sector upon which the global technology industry is built. Without this technology, electronic and technical innovation simply would not take place at the current pace, if at all.
The advanced technologies sector has a global reach. Major innovation hubs criss-cross the globe. From Silicon Valley to Singapore, with New York, Germany, Taiwan, and now Abu Dhabi, in between. Fabrication foundries and the world’s leading universities lead the charge to research new concepts and ideas that enable the development of the electrical and electronic gadgets that we hadn’t previously thought possible. They’re researching new ways to make technologies of the future lighter, faster energy efficient and, of course, more cost effective.
Identified by the government as one of the key areas for strategic investment, advanced technologies are enabling us to establish an economy that is sustainable, diversified and can offer the very best opportunities for its citizens. ATIC, the Advanced Technology Investment Company was established in 2008 with the specific mandate of leveraging Abu Dhabi’s capabilities to invest in the future of this technology both here in the UAE and internationally. It is through ATIC that Abu Dhabi will be at the cutting edge of the future technological innovation.
ATIC has already made significant investments towards establishing Abu Dhabi as a leading player in the sector. GLOBALFOUNDRIES, the maker of microchips owned by ATIC, counts a number of household-names amongst its clients, and continues to attract new business to its foundries in New York, Silicon Valley, Germany and Singapore. GLOBALFOUNDRIES will soon have a home here in Abu Dhabi too. We recently announced our plans to build a new fabrication foundry on a site near to Abu Dhabi airport. This will place the Emirate right at the heart of this globally important sector.
But at ATIC our investment is not limited to traditional capital. We’re also investing in the future development of human capital too. This is because being at the forefront of an industry is not just about buildings and structures, it’s also about people. Successfully establishing the semiconductor industry here in the UAE relies on the availability of a knowledgeable and well-equipped workforce. Innovation in the field of advanced technologies relies immensely on research and development capabilities. It is people that are the driving force behind innovation in this sector, and we are committed to developing Emirati talent so that they have the opportunity to be the technological innovators of the future.
That’s why ATIC is working closely with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology here in Abu Dhabi. Together, we can work towards establishing Abu Dhabi not only as a location for microchip fabrication but also as an innovation-leader. The recently established Masdar Institute for Science and Technology (Masdar Institute) Masters program in Microsystems developed through a partnership between ATIC, Masdar and the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) aims to enable home-grown talent to continue their studies in this specialist field right here in the UAE.
These are exciting times. We’re building an industry from scratch and we want the people of the Emirates to be a part of it.
