Dubai has ramped up efforts towards becoming a technology hub by introducing several new initiatives and targets to boost funding and implementation of new technologies.

On 26 April, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, announced a plan for a quarter of all journeys in the emirate by 2030 to be driverless. A driverless car manufactured by France’s Omnix International was featured in the recently concluded Mena Transport congress organised by Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in cooperation with the Brussels-based International Organisation for Public Transport (UITP).

The emirate, Sheikh Mohammed said, “is turning into the world’s biggest laboratory for technology, research and development”. He added that Dubai has a clear strategy and specific goals for smart transportation and that the sector will become “one of the main axes in the achievement of a sustainable economy in the UAE”.

A day later on 27 April, Sheikh Mohammed said the emirate will aim for 25 per cent of all buildings to be constructed using 3D printing by 2030.

The use of 3D printing in the construction sector is seen to increase efficiencies by cutting construction waste and reducing the need for unskilled labour. These benefits, Sheikh Mohammed cited, could translate to up to AED3bn ($817m) in economic gains for the emirate by 2025.

While 3D printing application in construction is still in its early phases, its economic impact is expected to reach an estimated $550bn by 2025, according to US consultancy McKinsey.

These announcements followed the approval of the AED1bn Future Endowment Fund, focusing on innovation, on 24 April. Dubai’s ruler also approved a framework on future cities that aims to include strategies and research projects to shape the future of Dubai and the UAE in energy, transportation and infrastructure. The programme aims to ultimately create a global model for future cities, according a local media report.