At a time when Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping economies, industries and education systems, the UAE is accelerating its ambition to become a global AI hub. Against this backdrop, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) Dubai Campus has unveiled NEXORA, a next-generation Artificial Intelligence lab designed to equip students with applied, real-world AI capabilities.
The launch comes as the UAE’s AI market is valued at over US$3.47 billion and is projected to grow at nearly 44% annually through 2030, with AI expected to contribute up to 14% of the country’s GDP. At the same time, the country is advancing its talent agenda, with AI being introduced into school curricula from the 2025–2026 academic year, alongside increasing employer demand for AI and data-driven skills.
NEXORA has been developed as an integrated AI environment where students move from ideation to development and deployment within a single platform. Structured across dedicated zones for ideation, learning, development and experience, the lab enables users to conceptualise solutions, build prototypes, test applications and demonstrate outcomes in real-world scenarios.
Dr. S. Sudhindra, Pro Vice Chancellor of MAHE Dubai, said: “The conversation around Artificial Intelligence has moved from awareness to application. The real differentiator today is not access to tools, but the ability to apply them in meaningful, domain-specific contexts. With NEXORA, we are creating an environment where students are not just exposed to AI concepts, but are expected to build, test and deploy solutions that reflect real industry challenges. This is essential to developing talent that is relevant from day one.”
A key highlight of the launch was the demonstration of AI applications developed entirely by students, showcasing practical use cases across industries. These included interactive virtual avatars for visitor engagement, real-time facial recognition systems operating on edge devices to ensure data privacy and intelligent retail inventory solutions designed to improve on-shelf availability and operational efficiency. Additional innovations such as sentiment analysis kiosks, voice-based biometric systems and interactive learning platforms further demonstrated how AI can be applied across customer experience, retail and enterprise environments.
The lab is supported by advanced infrastructure, including high-performance computing systems for large-scale model development, edge AI platforms for real-time intelligence and cloud-integrated environments for scalable experimentation. Industry-standard frameworks and tools are embedded across the ecosystem, ensuring alignment with enterprise technology environments. Looking ahead, MAHE Dubai also plans to introduce a dedicated quantum computing terminal, enabling exploration of next-generation computing and the convergence of AI and quantum technologies.
