Prime Highlights
- KEZAD Group will host Touchdown Middle East 2026, bringing the regional data centre conference to the UAE for the first time.
- The event is expected to attract more than 1,500 participants from over 30 countries to discuss AI, cloud computing and digital infrastructure.
Key Facts
- KEZAD Group is one of the region’s largest operators of integrated economic zones and industrial hubs.
- Abu Dhabi’s Digital Strategy 2025-2027 includes AED13 billion in investment to accelerate digital transformation and AI adoption.
Background
Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD) Group will host Touchdown Middle East 2026 in Abu Dhabi, marking the first time the regional data centre conference will be held in the UAE. Organised by the Gulf Data Centre Association (GDCA), the two-day event will take place in the second half of November and is expected to bring together leading players from the digital infrastructure industry.
After being hosted in Bahrain for three consecutive years, the conference will move to Abu Dhabi as part of its regional expansion. More than 1,500 visitors, over 400 companies, 70 speakers and delegates from more than 30 countries are expected to attend.
The conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions and networking sessions covering key topics such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, power availability, connectivity, investment, regulation and sustainable data centre development. It will bring together data centre operators, investors, technology providers, government officials, energy experts and real estate developers.
Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Cities and Free Zones Cluster at AD Ports Group, Abdullah Al Hameli, said hosting the event reflects Abu Dhabi’s growing role in digital infrastructure. He added that the conference will connect investors and industry partners with the emirate’s industrial, logistics and infrastructure capabilities to support future growth.
The event comes as Abu Dhabi continues to invest heavily in digital infrastructure. Under its Digital Strategy 2025-2027, the emirate plans to invest AED13 billion in digital transformation, expand sovereign cloud adoption and introduce more than 200 AI-based government services. It is also developing the Stargate UAE AI computing project, with the first phase expected to become operational in 2026.
