Yes the chances for Abu Dhabi to become a high-tech oasis are very high. If we look at the number of Abu Dhabi students pursuing master's in technology areas in USA and all around the world are increasing day by day. Abu Dhabi government is encouraging by sponsoring all diploma students to get higher degrees in the relevant technical areas from good universities around the globe. They realized that they will reach a critical point where there won't be any fuel resources to help their economy. To maintain the lead position in the market they are investing in all the possible ways like it has 70% stake in Global Foundries which is one of largest foundries around the world.
I echo the resounding yes that Abu Dhabi can become a high-tech oasis. What they UAE may lack in skilled human resources can be made up with the available financial investment they can bring to bear if they are smart in pooling the collective resources of their neighbors. Obviously there is a lot they need to learn from Dubai's failure.
Can Abu Dhabi Become a High-Tech Oasis? Yes, why not? We're still on plant earth, and anything is possible. We all knwo the first rule in acheiving anythign is to desire it.
Then when we're ready to leave the meager level of empty dreams, then we find out the odds, what we lack, what we have, and how to get what we don't have.
Abu Dhabi lacks the skilled man power, so theya re pimping their educational system. If they have labor problems like has been pointed out then i expect that they will have to work out a solution to that if they are serious.
If DennisQ know why Dubai failed, then i guess Abu Dhabi does also, and i expect them to learn from it and find a way around it.
I don’t think man power is a problem for Dubai or any other country, even though local head count is less. If the government or any other firms are taking the initiative, its very dam sure that engineering work forces can be pooled in. This scenario happens in each and ever corner of the world. If there is a requirement and the pay package is best, majority of engineers are ready for migration.
This is an interesting topic to discuss, there are lots of doubts arising with regard to this issue first is how are they going to manage the workforce to start fab it requires highly skilled workers , few south asian countries impose lot of restrictions on their labour though they have enough potentials to support financially we have to look into issues like the quality and performance of their fab industries.
The labor issue is a major one. First, Human Rights Watch has accused Abu Dhabi of importing and then abusing thousands of workers from South Asia. See "The Island of Happiness" at http://www.hrw.org/node/83111. That could become an issue in the actual construction of the fab. As for the workers they would need to actually operate the fab - there simply are no high-tech workers in the area. Abu Dhabi is trying to stimulate some activity in the universities, but they have a long way to go. Many people cite that as the #1 barrier to developing the area as a high-tech hub.
If you do any research on how Dubai was built, you'll quickly discover that the vast, vast majority of labor was imported from poorer surrounding countries. And most of the people working in those Dubai offices were outsiders as well.
This is just one of the many flaws that I mentioned in my post below. Anyhow, if you're interested on reading more on Dubai, I'd recommend this article.
Well when you have lot of money you think everything can be bought. But making ABU Dhabi high tech oasis, I would say its a a good dream. Do they have enough engineering college or local people with engineering qualifications? They are know for oil wells. And thats why they have so much money. Or many be they have plan to bring everyone from outside and pay huge money and get it done.
No, a glittering Abu Dhabi office is not in my future, and I'm sure you can find plenty of companies who regret setting up an outpost in Dubai.
As the catastrophic economic collapse in Dubai should have demonstrated, the UAE is deeply flawed. Yes, a lot of money is being and has been spent there the last decade or so, but no amount of money invested into the UAE can change the fact that it's essentially a barren wasteland, a terrible source of labor, and riddled with a wide variety of infrastructure and cultural-based issues.
I have read about the rise and fall of Dubai quite extensively, so I am immediately extremely skeptical of anything going on in that region.
Anyhow, ATIC may throw some money around and erect some smoke and mirrors, but I'd be willing to wager any amount that there's no way Abu Dhabi will ever become even a minor player in the semiconductor space.
I've seen Abu Dhabi in the news a lot too. A high-tech security symposium was held there recently, I believe.
Judging by the input on EBN's pages, there's some additional information the country will have to provide: labor rates and the availability of a workforce. Although a lot of high-tech manufacturing is automated, companies still weigh labor costs heavily into their decision-making. Did you see any data on this during your research?
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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