CNTXT AI to Set Up Robotics Data Facilities in UAE, Co-Founder Reveals

CNTXT AI plans to establish several robotics-data facilities across the UAE, a move its co-founder says will give the country a significant edge in the robotics sector. Mohammad Abu Sheikh announced that at least one of these sites will be operational from November, with additional facilities launching shortly after.

Mr Abu Sheikh highlighted that the facilities will be instrumental in positioning the UAE as a leader in physical artificial intelligence. “The UAE will soon provide a local solution to a universal problem,” he told The National, pointing to the widespread interest in physical AI.

Physical AI and Data Collection

The development of language models that power digital AI tools was driven by data combined with increasingly powerful processors. Physical AI, Mr Abu Sheikh explained, would work alongside digital AI, using sensors on everyday objects to improve efficiency and expand knowledge. Technology experts and analysts believe data from these objects could significantly enhance robotic capabilities.

CNTXT AI’s robotics data facilities, according to the co-founder, will enable the UAE to rapidly adopt physical AI. The announcement follows the company’s commitment to invest up to $50 million in robotics hardware, distribution, and facilities across the United States and the Middle East.

“Central to this investment is the 30,000 square feet of robotics-data facilities across Dubai and Abu Dhabi,” a CNTXT AI press release stated. Mr Abu Sheikh said that at the Dubai robotics data facility, trained workers will wear motion sensor suits to help robots perform various tasks typical of a home or workplace environment.

Egocentric Data and Global Expansion

Other facilities will focus on collecting what is termed “egocentric data.” The press release explained that lightweight head-mounted equipment will record tasks from the participant’s perspective, preserving hand movements, surrounding context, and interactions with objects. CNTXT AI’s chief executive noted that because few such facilities exist globally, the UAE would make substantial progress toward achieving AI sovereignty.

The concept of AI and tech sovereignty—a country’s ability to govern its own national security using digital tools without relying on another nation—has gained traction as countries seek to capitalise on AI’s economic benefits. When asked whether the new facilities would help the UAE achieve this goal, Mr Sheikh replied, “Absolutely 100 per cent.” He added, “Where else in the world would you be able to collect this kind of data safely on this kind of scale, with these kind of benchmarks, and use it to actually build global kind of solutions and deploy them?”

CNTXT AI was founded in Abu Dhabi in 2024 and describes itself as a “data-first AI company” that helps organisations “build, deploy, and scale sovereign AI solutions” while retaining control over their proprietary data. One of its flagship products, Munsit, is an Arabic speech-to-text AI model that CNTXT says was “trained from more than 30,000 hours of real-world Arabic audio, covering more than 25 dialects.”

According to the chief executive, the company has surpassed $300 million in committed revenue and will soon open its first office in San Francisco. “The move to California is going really well and we’re getting a lot of traction,” Mr Sheikh said. “Most of our clients right now come from that area so it’s been a very positive experience.” Earlier this year, the company announced it had secured $60 million in a Series A funding round co-led by BlueFive Capital and ai71.

CNTXT AI also plans to open an egocentric data site in Jordan and another facility in India. The Amman site is expected to operate around the clock and open by the end of November.