Postgres data and AI company EnterpriseDB (EDB) has announced the opening of its new regional headquarters in Dubai, a strategic expansion that highlights the company’s long-term investment in the Middle East. The move, announced during GITEX Global 2025, directly acknowledges the GCC’s global leadership in sovereign AI adoption, innovation, and regulatory frameworks.
GCC at the Forefront of Sovereign AI
The decision to establish a Dubai hub is backed by compelling data from EDB’s latest global research report, Sovereignty Matters. The study reveals that enterprises in the UAE and Saudi Arabia rank highest worldwide for sovereign AI adoption, with 17% classified as “Deeply Committed”—significantly above the global average of 13%. More importantly, these pioneering organisations are realizing up to five times greater return on investment from their AI initiatives compared to their international peers.
Kevin Dallas, CEO of EDB, noted that these findings are central to the company’s growth strategy. “The UAE and Saudi Arabia are setting a new global standard for digital leadership, with sovereignty at its core,” said Dallas. “Our research shows that executives across the region are achieving up to five times higher ROI by making data and AI sovereignty a mission-critical priority. Establishing our regional hub in Dubai reflects EDB’s long-term commitment to help enterprises translate sovereign innovation into lasting value.”
A Strategic Hub for Regional Collaboration
The new Dubai office will function as a central hub for collaboration with governments, enterprises, and partners across the GCC. EDB plans to focus heavily on building alliances, supporting Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and developing omni-channel partnerships, particularly within the financial services, telecommunications, and government sectors. This ecosystem-driven approach is seen as the primary engine for scaling innovation in the region.
“Dubai offers us not only proximity to our customers, but also a vibrant ecosystem of partners who share our goals,” said Kash Rafique, Vice President and GM for the Middle East and Africa at EDB. “Our opportunity to scale lies in combining that ecosystem with our expertise in sovereign data and AI. Together, we’re helping enterprises across the Middle East and Africa innovate while keeping their data fully under their control.”
This collaborative sentiment was echoed by regional partners. “As GCC governments and enterprises advance their agentic and generative AI strategies, partnerships like this are critical to enabling secure modernization, faster AI adoption, and complete data sovereignty,” commented Dharshana Kosgalage, Executive Vice President at Redington Group.
About EnterpriseDB
EDB Postgres® AI (EDB PG AI) is the first open, enterprise-grade sovereign data and AI platform—secure, compliant, and scalable, on-premises and across clouds. Built on Postgres, the world’s leading database, EDB PG AI unifies transactional, analytical, and AI workloads, enabling organizations to operationalize their data and LLMs while maintaining control over sovereign environments. EDB PG AI is supported by a global partner network and delivers up to 99.999% availability as well as hybrid management and a built-in AI factory. As one of the most active contributors to the PostgreSQL project, EDB is deeply invested in the vitality of the global community.
Source: MEA TechWatch
