From Oil to Algorithms
The Middle East’s race for AI leadership and strategic influence
The Middle East is no longer just an oil region. Today, it is a laboratory for ambition, investment and strategic recalibration. Countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain are racing to define their place in a world reshaped by artificial intelligence, technological innovation and the subtle currents of geopolitics.
For decades, their global influence rested on natural resources. Now, they are striving to convert capital and energy into knowledge, infrastructure and technological sovereignty. AI is at the center of this transformation — not as a luxury, but as a necessity for economic resilience and geopolitical relevance.
Read MoreThe EU Chips Act
Can Eindhoven’s photonic cleanrooms secure Europe’s technological sovereignty?
Semiconductors have become the fault line of modern geopolitics. The United States and China are investing aggressively in domestic chip production, treating semiconductors not as consumer goods but as strategic infrastructure. Europe, by contrast, spent decades optimising research while outsourcing large-scale manufacturing — until recent crises exposed how fragile that model had become.
With the EU Chips Act, Brussels is attempting a course correction. More than €43 billion in public and private investment is meant to double Europe’s share of global semiconductor production to 20% by 2030. The ambition is unmistakable. The open question is whether Europe can realistically compete on scale — or whether its future lies in technological differentiation.
That question increasingly points to photonics.
Read MoreFinn the Duck Briefs Trump on Europe’s AI “Luxury Problems”
By Finn the Duck, Raving Reporter – live from a Dutch windmill
Washington, DC – At a joint presser on America’s skyrocketing national debt, President Trump grumbled: “Europe’s living the good life – croissants, vacations – maybe they could chip in more?”
Your feathered EU correspondent (me!) stepped up to explain why Europe is lagging in the AI race, despite its fancy “luxury problems”.
France: Mistral AI is blowing hot air, but language barriers kill the buzz. Ask “Who?” in English, get “Qui?” in French – they just say “Oui!” Total confusion.
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