IBM, a global leader in hybrid cloud, AI, and consulting, and nybl, a science-based AI company and IBM Business Partner, have announced a new collaboration to drive AI adoption across critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, utilities, and industrial operations. The partnership combines IBM’s watsonx portfolio of AI products, particularly watsonx.governance, with nybl’s domain-specific expertise to enhance operational resilience, improve efficiency, and deliver stronger business value.

AI-powered asset and operations management

At the core of the collaboration is nybl’s n.vision platform, now integrated with IBM’s watsonx AI and data platform, its AI governance capabilities, and the IBM Maximo Application Suite. Together, these technologies provide secure, intelligent asset and operations management tools that reduce costs, improve safety, and boost overall performance. watsonx.governance underpins this integration by ensuring transparency, compliance, and lifecycle AI management.

The solution also leverages IBM Maximo Visual Inspection (MVI) to embed AI-driven visual intelligence into industrial operations. n.vision processes vast amounts of imagery data from drones and cameras to detect faults, predict equipment failures, and recommend prescriptive actions to avoid unplanned downtime. By automating inspections and quality checks, it streamlines workflows while maintaining rigorous operational standards.

Purpose-built AI for real-world outcomes

The platform integrates nybl’s proprietary AI models with a high-performance data engine and user-friendly interface. Its key modules include Director, enabling real-time analytics and decision-making, and Stage, which visualizes insights to support faster, smarter operational responses. The result is improved asset uptime, reliability, efficiency, and safety.

“At IBM, we believe the future of industry is AI-powered, and our watsonx platform is built to help clients scale trustworthy AI across their business,” said Zaidoun Arbad, VP – Ecosystem, IBM Middle East and Africa. “By combining nybl’s domain-specific innovation with IBM’s enterprise AI capabilities, including Maximo and watsonx, we are enabling clients to transform operations and make smarter decisions in real time.”

Noor Alnahhas, founder and CEO of nybl and a member of Dubai’s official AI and Ethics Advisory Board, added: “At nybl, we build AI grounded in science and driven by a commitment to ethical impact. Our mission is to solve some of humanity’s most critical challenges across sectors like energy, power, water, agriculture, and healthcare. This collaboration with IBM significantly amplifies our ability to scale that impact globally, combining nybl’s domain-specific innovation with IBM’s enterprise-grade platforms to deliver real, measurable value where it’s needed most.”

Read: Why UAE businesses are ahead in AI adoption, reveals IBM’s Lula Mohanty

Scaling Middle East innovation globally

The collaboration underscores a shared mission to deploy advanced, purpose-built AI in industries that directly serve humanity. It also strengthens IBM’s global portfolio by incorporating nybl’s cutting-edge solutions, while advancing nybl’s ambition to export homegrown innovation from the Middle East to global markets—solidifying the region’s growing influence in shaping the future of technology.

Saudi National Shipping Company (Bahri) has placed an order for six dry bulk carriers from International Maritime Industries (IMI), marking the launch of the kingdom’s first large-scale shipbuilding project.

The vessels will be built at IMI’s shipyard in Ras Al-Khair, described as the most advanced full-service maritime facility in the Middle East and North Africa.

The deal underlines Saudi Arabia’s ambition to establish a globally competitive maritime ecosystem under its Vision 2030 economic diversification plan and the Saudi Inc initiative, aimed at boosting supply chain localisation.

Defining moment for Saudi’s maritime industry: Bahri CEO

“This agreement marks a strategic milestone for Bahri and a defining moment for the maritime industry in the kingdom,” Bahri chief executive Ahmed Ali Al-Subaey said in a statement. “Through our partnership with International Maritime Industries to launch the first large-scale national shipbuilding program, we are not only modernising our fleet but also laying the foundations for a sustainable and globally competitive maritime sector.”

Al-Subaey added that the new carriers will expand Bahri’s service in strategic markets, strengthen supply chain resilience and deliver long-term value to customers and stakeholders, in line with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.

The new geared Ultramax vessels are designed to provide operational flexibility and efficiency, with the ability to access ports with limited infrastructure.

Bahri said this would allow it to tap into niche markets and emerging trade routes, reducing exposure to market volatility while improving competitiveness and sustainability.

Space42, the UAE-based AI-driven SpaceTech company, has released its Foresight Constellation Viewpoint, a comprehensive analysis of the strategic value of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite ecosystems. Against a backdrop of record infrastructure and defense spending, combined with mounting environmental and security challenges, the report highlights why traditional Earth observation systems are no longer enough. It shows how SAR advancements enhance government decision-making and risk management when it matters most.

From visibility to value

SAR’s strength is most evident in crisis situations. On February 6, 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey. Tremors reached the Atatürk Dam, one of the region’s largest, holding nearly 49 billion cubic meters of water. Emergency teams urgently needed to know whether the dam’s integrity had been compromised.

Conventional monitoring failed when needed most: optical satellites were obscured by cloud cover, and ground sensors collapsed. SAR satellites, however, continued operating in all conditions. The resulting imagery confirmed the dam’s safety, allowing emergency teams to prioritise response. This, the report notes, proved SAR’s practical and strategic value.

From blind spots to breakthroughs: the Space42 advantage

Space42’s Foresight Constellation provides persistent, high-resolution imaging regardless of weather. Its AI platform, GIQ, transforms raw data into decision-grade insights within minutes. This layered system equips governments with rapid intelligence to support emergency response and predictive planning.

The impact is measurable. Predictive maintenance costs can drop by up to 30 per cent, emergency response can improve by as much as 90 per cent, and inefficiencies can decline by 25 per cent. Such gains can translate into billions in savings for governments and industries.

A sovereign strategic asset

The report stresses that efficiency alone is not enough. “In an era of globalisation and climate change, the ability to generate and analyze data independently is a key indicator of sovereign resilience.” Dependence on external monitoring can create vulnerabilities when independent authority is required.

By enabling governments to capture and interpret geospatial intelligence locally, platforms like GIQ reduce reliance on third parties. The global SAR market is forecast to nearly double from $5.8 billion to $9.8bn by 2030, shifting from a technological advantage to an operational necessity. Nations investing in sovereign SAR ecosystems today are positioning themselves for resilience and autonomy tomorrow.

Vision that never blinks

In a world defined by uncertainty, leadership depends on foresight and precision. Integrated SAR ecosystems, according to the Foresight Constellation Viewpoint, are fast becoming the backbone of sovereign, smarter, and more agile decision-making.

Read: Space42 to develop UAE’s first sovereign mobility cloud with Microsoft and Core42

For national leaders, infrastructure planners, and defense strategists, the message is clear: the competitive edge lies in transforming visibility into value. The full report sets out how governments can unlock billions in savings while strengthening sovereignty.

Saudi Aramco has signed a joint development agreement with US industrial group Honeywell (HON.O) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to advance a new technology for converting crude oil directly into chemicals.

The deal aims to cut the cost of crude-to-chemicals (CTC) processes and increase the value extracted from each barrel of oil by producing light olefins and other high-demand products. The companies said the approach could improve fuel efficiency, carbon utilisation and overall process economics.

“This collaboration with Honeywell UOP and KAUST furthers Aramco’s efforts to drive innovation and shape the future of petrochemicals,” said Ali A Al-Meshari, Aramco’s senior vice president for technology oversight and coordination.

“By harnessing cutting-edge technologies, we aim to enhance energy efficiency and unlock increased value from every barrel of crude.”

Honeywell exec calls deal a key move to build CTC tech

Rajesh Gattupalli, president of Honeywell UOP, called the agreement “a defining moment” in the evolution of CTC technology, adding that the partnership was expected to reduce emissions and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position in the global chemicals market.

KAUST’s participation brings academic research into the collaboration. Ian Campbell, senior vice president at KAUST’s National Transformation Institute, said the project was an example of how science could be translated into industrial applications to support the kingdom’s innovation-driven economy.

The three organisations said the initiative supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify the economy beyond oil by developing downstream industries and building national technology capabilities.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has signed a long-term partnership with Fortinet, a global leader in cybersecurity, network solutions, and firewalls, as part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard digital assets and enhance smart infrastructure.

The agreement was signed during the 27th Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX), hosted by DEWA at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 30 September to 2 October 2025. The signing took place in the presence of HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, alongside senior officials. Representing both sides, Hussain Lootah, executive vice president of Transmission Power at DEWA, and Joe Sarno, executive vice president, International Sales at Fortinet, formalised the agreement.

Commitment to cyber resilience

“We adopt the highest standards and global best practices in cyber security to protect our digital assets and smart infrastructure, and deliver our services according to the highest levels of efficiency, reliability and quality. We collaborate with leading global companies to keep pace with the latest technologies in protecting smart grids and smart city infrastructure, as well as proactively manage any risks that may threaten information security. Signing the agreement with Fortinet is in line with our long-term partnership in various aspects of cyber security. This keeps pace with DEWA’s digital transformation and the adoption of the latest technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart networks, to ensure the highest levels of security and preparedness,” said Al Tayer.

Read: Saeed Al Tayer on DEWA’s clean energy and AI transformation

Joe Sarno added: “DEWA is a forward thinking organisation that fully embraces digital transformation, recognising the huge opportunities presented by cloud computing, AI, and IoT. At the same time, it remains keenly aware of the growing security challenges as attack surfaces expand. Fortinet is honoured to discuss with DEWA regarding cybersecurity and digital transformation in relation to DEWA’s critical operational and IT infrastructures, with the aim for DEWA to maintain a safe and secure environment where Dubai’s residents can thrive.”

Enhancing digital protection with advanced AI

The partnership will allow DEWA to implement the Fortinet Security Fabric system, which provides unified protection across IT, operational technologies, private cloud, and IoT environments, while adopting a Zero Trust security model for safe access and proactive threat prevention.

Additionally, Fortinet’s AI-powered FortiGuard services will boost the capabilities of DEWA’s Information Security Centre by enabling real-time threat detection and response. This will help mitigate risks, reduce operational vulnerabilities, and enhance efficiency across DEWA’s smart networks and services.