AI specialist Pupil acquires ASME to expand in the UAE

Pupil, the spatial data technology company, has announced that it has completed a deal to acquire surveying firm Aus-Surv Middle East (ASME).

Founded in 2008, ASME is a UAE-based company that specialises in all elements of property measurement. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, it has completed over 600 high-rise and mixed-use development projects.

In 2021, Pupil moved into Dubai, being the first company in the UAE to be given the title of Certified Surveying Company by the Dubai Land Department for more than five years. ASME’s purchase will aid the company’s fast expansion in the region.

Pupil, founded by James D. Marshall and Oliver Breach, has developed next-generation technologies over the course of a five-year research and development programme. To date, the company has received $45m, with a focus on strategic investors and partners to help it expand internationally.

Pupil was established in London, and in 2021, it extended to Dubai and New York. In early 2022, a branch was also established in Singapore. Pupil now has a presence in Europe, MENA, the United States, and Asia Pacific, with plans to expand to another 64 locations globally.

Through its products, Spec and Stak, Pupil combines proprietary AI and industrial grade LiDAR scanning hardware to capture millions of points of measurement to document commercial and residential real estate and produce next generation digital twins of the spaces. Pupil has digitised approximately 50,000 buildings in London worth more than $50bn via Spec alone.

Meanwhile, through Spec and Stak Verified, its registered trademarks, the company has developed the capability to create and sell verified NFTs of properties it captures. It has agreed a deal to produce NFTs for every unit of a landmark development in Dubai, giving buyers the opportunity to own the unique NFT of their property.

Read: Dubai: Pupil sells first-ever verified NFTs of digitised real-world properties

Marshall and Breach said: “The acquisition of ASME forms an important part of our expansion in the UAE, where we are servicing ever increasing demand from the region’s biggest real estate developers. The UAE is a global leader and we are excited to be at the heart of its continued focus on becoming the world’s most digital-first real estate market.”

Ian Sparks, managing director of ASME, said: “ASME is joining Pupil in order to offer its clients the latest technology-backed solutions and the UAE’s most complete end-to-end surveying service.”