AI is reshaping enterprise performance across the UAE, with new research showing that 59% of organisations have now embedded artificial intelligence into their core operations. The latest global survey by Cloudera – The Evolution of AI: The State of Enterprise AI and Data Architecture – underscores the growing impact of AI and the rise of hybrid data architectures as critical enablers of secure, scalable AI adoption.
Cloudera, the only company delivering AI to data anywhere, has published the results of its newest international survey, which gathered insights from over 1,500 IT leaders around the world, including participants from the UAE. The findings explore how enterprises are accelerating AI implementation, transforming their data infrastructure, and tackling the emerging challenges of scaling AI responsibly in 2025.
Building upon the company’s 2024 research, the study reveals how business priorities and barriers have evolved dramatically over the past year. It captures a fast-changing AI landscape where organisations are racing to leverage data for competitive advantage. The report concludes that the future will be defined by AI — and AI, in turn, is powered by data regardless of where that data resides. To succeed, enterprises must have access to 100% of their data, manage it securely, and extract both real-time and predictive insights without compromise.
UAE IT Leaders Signal AI is Essential, but Barriers Persist
The most striking finding: While 59% of IT leaders in the UAE reported AI is now integrated into their core business processes, only 16% describe this integration as “fully embedded”. This indicates that AI has gone from experimentation to full integration in core processes and workflows. And it’s paying off: 43% of respondents in the UAE said they have achieved significant success with AI initiatives, with 12% experiencing transformational success.
UAE Enterprises are tapping into a variety of AI forms to achieve these results, including generative (44%), deep learning (37%), supervised learning (56%), and predictive (52%). The confidence to diversify AI portfolios is also up, with 77% of UAE IT leaders feeling more prepared to manage new forms of AI, particularly AI agents. Behind this success is a growing shift in how enterprises approach data. A hybrid approach to data architecture has become the norm, offering organizations the flexibility to manage AI across cloud and on-prem environments. When asked about the biggest advantages of a hybrid approach, respondents cited security (66%), followed by scalability (64%), and improved data analytics (61%).
This trend aligns with Cloudera’s long-held conviction that enterprises need access to 100% of their data, wherever it resides, whether in public cloud, private cloud, data centres, or the edge. Without this visibility, organisations cannot derive trustworthy, real-time insights or deploy AI responsibly at scale.
Despite progress, enterprises acknowledge they are still on the journey toward maximizing AI’s potential and ROI. While 24% said their culture is now extremely data-driven, most recognize more work is needed to embed data-first thinking into business practices.
“In a short period, AI has shifted from an experiment to a mandate in the UAE, reshaping business operations and competitiveness,” said Ahmad Shakora, Group Vice President – Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Cloudera. “Yet our survey shows that many enterprises remain stuck at the pilot stage, facing challenges around trust, compliance, and governance. Cloudera’s mission is to bring AI to data wherever it resides (public cloud, private cloud, or on-premises), while ensuring unified governance, lineage, and security. At GITEX 2025, we will demonstrate how enterprises can overcome these barriers, take back control of their data, and accelerate AI adoption with confidence and responsibility.”
Other key findings include:
- UAE Enterprises are leveraging the cloud: When asked where their company’s data was stored, 75% of respondents said public cloud, 71% said data warehouses, and 62% said private cloud.
- Integrating AI is not without security concerns: 61% of respondents globally, listed integration costs as the top cost prohibition for accelerating AI, followed by data
- storage costs (52%), and data breaches of leakages (41%).
- Despite those concerns, organizations feel confident: Globally, almost a quarter (24%) of respondents said they were extremely confident in their organization’s ability to secure data used in AI systems, 53% were very confident, and 19% were somewhat confident.
The UAE report is unveiled at GITEX Global 2025, the region’s leading technology showcase, where Cloudera is highlighting how AI is powering smarter cities, advancing healthcare efficiency, and enabling innovation in financial services and energy. Cloudera will demonstrate how organizations in the UAE are building trusted data foundations to unlock AI’s full potential responsibly.