UK-Founded Nextgen Moves Global Headquarters to UAE as Business AI Adoption Reaches 72%

Nextgen, a UK-founded artificial intelligence (AI) transformation firm, has relocated its global headquarters to the United Arab Emirates as businesses across the country increase their adoption of AI technologies. Founded in 2012, Nextgen combines AI strategy, business transformation and engineering services. The company has more than 75 specialists across five offices and supports over 50 enterprise clients, with 200 AI use cases in production, according to the company.

The relocation comes amid rising AI adoption in the UAE. Research by Strand Partners, in collaboration with the UAE Artificial Intelligence Office and Amazon Web Services (AWS), found that 72% of UAE businesses had adopted AI, compared with 53% a year earlier. Among businesses using AI, 85% said the technology had accelerated their transformation, while 31% reported using more advanced applications.

Nextgen said the UAE’s focus on practical AI implementation and its business environment were among the factors behind the move. The company plans to use the country as a base to develop AI capabilities for organisations in the region and other markets.

Founded in the UK, Nextgen has expanded into India and China, building experience across Europe and Asia. Its relocation to the UAE adds a Middle Eastern base to its international operations. The company works with government entities and enterprises, including those in highly regulated sectors, to develop and deploy AI applications. Its services span strategy, transformation and engineering, with projects intended to take organisations beyond experimentation and into production.

Nextgen also works with a range of AI models and enterprise platforms, selecting technologies according to clients’ business requirements, use cases and existing infrastructure. As AI adoption grows, organisations are increasingly looking at how to integrate the technology into established operations and generate measurable business outcomes. Nextgen said its UAE headquarters would support this work, including helping organisations develop the capabilities and skills needed to use AI effectively.