NTT Information deepens Center East cloud push with acquisition of UAE-based Zero&One
The acquisition of Dubai-headquartered cloud consultancy Zero&One by world IT providers supplier NTT Information is the most recent sign of accelerating funding within the UAE’s expertise ecosystem, as worldwide corporations place themselves for the subsequent section of cloud progress throughout the Center East.
The deal strengthens NTT Information’s cloud and synthetic intelligence (AI) capabilities within the area, and underlines the UAE’s rising function as a launchpad for serving clients throughout the Gulf, wider Center East and Africa.
Whereas monetary particulars weren’t disclosed, the strategic intent is obvious: world service suppliers are racing to safe native experience, certifications and supply capability as cloud adoption strikes from early migration tasks to large-scale, business-critical deployments.
For NTT Information, the acquisition aligns carefully with its broader ambition to develop its footprint in high-growth digital markets.
The corporate already serves a big proportion of the world’s largest enterprises, and has been steadily rising its investments in cloud, AI and data-driven providers globally. The Center East, and significantly the UAE, has grow to be a focus of that technique.
“This acquisition permits us to ship high-impact options and improve the worth we carry to organisations within the Center East,” mentioned Burcak Soydan, managing director for the Center East at NTT Information.
“Zero&One’s experience strengthens our capacity to ship the velocity, scale and technical depth purchasers want in at the moment’s cloud-first surroundings.”
UAE as a cloud and AI funding hub
The deal displays a broader sample of worldwide expertise corporations utilizing the UAE as a regional base for cloud and AI growth. Sturdy digital infrastructure, pro-investment insurance policies and nationwide methods centered on superior applied sciences have helped place the nation as a most popular vacation spot for multinational suppliers and repair suppliers.
Lately, hyperscalers, methods integrators and specialist consultancies have elevated their presence in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, usually citing the UAE’s function as a secure gateway to regional markets. This has been accompanied by rising demand from each private and non-private sector organisations in search of to modernise legacy methods, enhance information analytics capabilities and undertake AI at scale.
On the similar time, the cloud providers market throughout the broader Center East is coming into a interval of fast growth. Saudi Arabia alone noticed its cloud market valued at $4.77bn final yr, with forecasts suggesting it should greater than double by the early 2030s. AWS has confirmed plans to launch a devoted cloud area within the Kingdom in 2026, a transfer anticipated to additional speed up demand for cloud migration, safety and utility modernisation providers throughout the Gulf.
In opposition to this backdrop, world service suppliers are more and more trying to purchase regional specialists with deep native information and established partnerships. For NTT Information, Zero&One brings not solely AWS experience, but additionally an understanding of regional regulatory necessities, sector-specific challenges and buyer expectations.
The acquisition additionally highlights that the character of cloud demand within the Center East is evolving. Early adoption was usually centered on infrastructure migration and price optimisation. Right this moment, organisations want extra superior providers, together with cloud-native utility growth, information analytics and AI-enabled providers.
“We’ve constructed our fame on delivering world-class cloud experience to organisations throughout the Center East,” mentioned Ali El Kontar, CEO of Zero&One. “As a part of NTT Information, we are able to mix our regional information and AWS specialisation with world sources and expanded service choices.”
This capacity to scale is turning into more and more necessary as enterprises within the area transfer past pilots and proofs of idea in the direction of massive, mission-critical cloud and AI programmes. For a lot of organisations, significantly in regulated industries corresponding to monetary providers, vitality and authorities, this requires companions who can display each world supply capabilities and a robust native presence.
As competitors intensifies and buyer expectations rise, world gamers are more likely to pursue additional acquisitions to strengthen their regional capabilities and differentiate their choices. For the UAE, this pattern reinforces its place as a strategic hub for expertise funding and innovation.
