DUBAI // The UAE on Wednesday launched the latest component of its strategy to become an ideas hothouse and a world-leading hub for technology.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced ambitious plans to develop and exploit 3-D printing, a process that the consultants McKinsey estimate will have a $550 billion impact on the global economy in the next 10 years.
The new plans follow a target set this week for a quarter of journeys in Dubai to be driverless by 2030. Like 3-D printing, autonomous transport is viewed as a "disruptive" technology with worldwide implications. Companies as diverse as Google, Mercedez-Benz, Audi and the German industrial comglomerate Bosch are investing heavily in its future.
Sheikh Mohammed made it clear on Wednesday that the UAE would continue its quest to achieve global leadership in driving innovation that had benefits for all mankind.
“Our vision for development is driven by a deep understanding of future needs, and built on proactive ideas because we want to be in first place globally,” he said.
“Our methodology for development is based on initiatives that can be applied anywhere in the world, creating a model not only for our economy but also for the global economy.
“The future does not wait for those who hesitate and slow down. The next stage requires us to act fast and utilise the opportunities. A few days ago we launched the Dubai Future Agenda and we have started to implement it in a way that adds value to humanity and our national economy.
“The UAE is presenting to the world today the first integrated and comprehensive strategy to exploit 3-D technology to serve humanity.”
Sheikh Mohammed said the first impact of 3-D technology would be on the construction industry, and he set a target of 25 per cent of buildings in Dubai to be constructed using 3-D printing by 2030.
The technology would transform the industry by saving time, cutting construction waste and reducing the need for unskilled labour, with an estimated economic benefit of Dh3bn by 2025, Sheikh Mohammed said.
He expects the use of 3-D in construction to increase by about 2 per cent a year from 2019, depending on how the technology and its reliability develop.
Sheikh Mohammed also targeted medical and consumer products for manufacture using 3-D printing.
In the medical products sector, the focus will be on 3-D printed teeth, bones, artificial organs, medical and surgical devices and hearing aids, with a projected value of Dh1.7bn by 2025.
Consumer products made using using 3-D printing will include household items, optics, fashion jewellery, children’s games and fast food, with an estimated value of Dh2.8bn by 2025.
Sheikh Mohammed has directed organisations including Dubai Municipality, Dubai Holding and Dubai Health Authority, under the umbrella of the Dubai Future Foundation, to implement the overall strategy.
They will set up the infrastructure to develop 3-D printing technology, propose a legislative framework to regulate it, find sources of funding, recruit the necessary scientific talent and determine market demand.
There will also be an international forum in Dubai for 3-D printing designers, manufacturers and developers, to discuss developments in the technology.
“The future will depend on 3-D printing technologies in all aspects of our life, starting from the houses we live in, the streets we use, the cars we drive, the clothes we wear and the food we eat,” Sheikh Mohammed said,
“This technology will create added economic value and benefits worth billions of dollars. We should have a share in this growing global market.”
newsdesk@thenational.ae
