The UAE Cyber Security Council records more than 800,000 cyberattacks daily. That figure, confirmed by Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, is the number that explains why the UAE Cyber Factory, launched by the Cyber Security Council in collaboration with CPX Holding at the Make it in the Emirates exhibition, is one of the most strategically significant technology initiatives the country has announced in 2026. At 800,000 attacks per day, cybersecurity is not a background IT concern in the UAE. It is a frontline national security challenge that requires the same level of institutional commitment, local capability and sovereign infrastructure that the country brings to its physical defence. The UAE Cyber Factory is the institutional response to that challenge, and its ambitions go well beyond building better defences. It is designed to make the UAE a global exporter of cybersecurity capability.
The UAE Cyber Factory will design, build and scale the next generation of cybersecurity capabilities through AI-powered programmes, technologies and systems that give the UAE end-to-end ownership of its digital defences. The factory model is deliberate: rather than purchasing cybersecurity solutions from international vendors and remaining dependent on foreign supply chains for the protection of critical national infrastructure, the UAE is building the capability to create those solutions domestically, with local talent, local intellectual property and local engineering. That shift from cybersecurity consumer to cybersecurity producer is the strategic ambition at the heart of the initiative, and it aligns directly with the Make it in the Emirates programme’s broader goal of building UAE-originated manufacturing and technology capability across sectors.
“The launch of the UAE Cyber Factory signals a new phase of leadership, positioning the UAE as a global hub for advanced cybersecurity and a digital power shaping the future of the industry. In the face of rising global challenges, the UAE stands as a leading model that not only protects but also innovates.”
— Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government (Gulf News, May 2026)
Why Cyber Sovereignty Matters Now More Than Ever
The regional conflict that began in February 2026 added a new and urgent dimension to the UAE’s cybersecurity challenge. State-sponsored and hacktivist cyber operations targeting UAE digital infrastructure increased significantly during the conflict period, with the UAE Cybersecurity Council activating emergency response protocols and coordinating with banks, utilities and government entities to maintain service continuity through a period of sustained and sophisticated cyber pressure. The 800,000 daily attacks figure predates the conflict and reflects the baseline threat environment for a country of the UAE’s economic profile. The conflict-era threat layer sits on top of that baseline, compounding the urgency for the kind of sovereign, AI-powered defensive capability the Cyber Factory is designed to provide.
The Cyber Factory’s focus on AI-powered cybersecurity systems is particularly timely. The most sophisticated cyber threats the UAE faces, whether from state-sponsored actors, financially motivated ransomware groups or ideologically motivated hacktivists, are increasingly using AI to automate attack generation, evade signature-based detection and move laterally through networks faster than human analysts can track. Defending against AI-powered attacks with traditional security tools creates a structural disadvantage that only AI-powered defences can address. The Cyber Factory’s mandate to develop AI-native security capabilities is the correct strategic response to the direction of threat evolution.
What This Means for UAE Businesses
The UAE Cyber Factory initiative matters for businesses across the country for reasons that go beyond national security. A sovereign cybersecurity ecosystem generates a domestic market for UAE-developed security products and services that businesses of all sizes will be able to access. It builds the talent pipeline of trained cybersecurity professionals that every UAE organisation needs but currently struggles to find. It creates a policy and standards environment in which UAE businesses can operate with greater confidence that the regulatory framework protecting them is maintained by people who understand the specific threat landscape they face. And it signals to international businesses considering UAE operations that the country is investing in the digital infrastructure resilience that makes it a safe environment for storing sensitive data and running critical business systems.
“The UAE Cyber Factory marks a major step toward a sovereign, future-ready cybersecurity ecosystem. It brings together local talent, advanced engineering and innovation built in the UAE, enabling end-to-end capabilities and strengthening national ownership of digital defences to create a secure and resilient environment for government, businesses and citizens.”
— Hadi Anwar, CEO, CPX Holding (The National, May 2026)
