Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) is an integrated free zone technology park spanning 7.2 million square meters. Strategically located in the heart of Dubai and marked by an iconic crown-shaped headquarter building, the free zone’s urban master-planned community comprises state-of-the-art office towers, research and development and industrial zones, educational institutions, luxury apartments, villas, hotels, healthcare facilities and a full range of lifestyle amenities that create a dynamic and comprehensive living and working environment. Since its inception in 2005, DSO has grown with the emirate of Dubai to become a regional hub for multinational companies and entrepreneurs in various fields including technology, artificial intelligence, smart city solutions, and blockchain.
Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body of DSO, has regularly reported solid figures registering continuous increase on its yearly revenue and net profit. The solid growth reflects DSO’s role as one of the main economic zones in the UAE in attracting business and foreign direct investments. DSO is an integrated city within a city that is ideal for people to live, work, play, and invest. More than 2,084 companies operate out of the high-tech park, and its population exceeds 88,000 people. Moreover, DSO serves as the regional headquarters to five percent of global companies on the Fortune 500 list, such as Western Digital, Schneider Electric, Jaguar Land Rover, and Mitsubishi Electric, among many others.
Dubai Digital Park attracts renowned multinational companies
Earlier this year, DSOA announced the completion of its Dh1.5 billion Dubai Digital Park (DDP), a 150,000-square-meter community that comprises 71,000 square meters of office space, 25,000 square meters of commercial space with 85 shops, 46,000 square meters of residential area with 235 apartments that are equipped with the latest smart technologies.
As soon as DDP opened, a notable streak of multinational companies inaugurated their new regional offices and headquarters on the premises, including Ricoh Group, a leading global technology provider; Finsa, a Spanish industrial company specialising in the manufacturing of particle boards; and Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), the pioneering German security technologies provider among many others.
DDP also features a comprehensive range of 60 smart services, worth more than Dh100 million, which are offered through a unified and secure platform that effectively integrates operational requirements of enterprises with needs of employees, residents, and visitors.
Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus
Prior to DDP, in 2015, DSOA launched its wholly owned Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), one of the largest tech-coworking spaces in the region. Having started with a 5,000 square meters building, Dtec has evolved to house more than 800 startups from 72 countries. With the completion of DDP, Dtec has expanded its premises to a total area of 10,000 square meters through a new hub here.
Beyond serving as a tech-coworking space, Dtec regularly hosts networking events, competitions, and training workshops to support the entrepreneurial community in Dubai. Through its investment arm, Dtec Ventures, the hub invested in six startups in 2019.
Stories from Dubai Silicon Oasis
- Dtec: Support for start-ups begin early at this buzzing ecosystem
- It's always a full plate at Dubai Silicon Oasis
- Here’s what Dubai property managers can do to retain tenants
- My Home Kitchen: A passion that fueled a culinary journey
- Healthy food options to help boost your immunity, delivered by talabat
- A wellness retreat that restores your health in DSO
- DSO offers the right ecosystem for future professionals to thrive
- Covid-19: DSO gets the community back on its feet
Education
In the academic field, DSO is home to 28 educational, training and consulting institutions with a total investment of more than Dh500 million. This includes several prestigious institutes, such as the RIT-Dubai, GEMS WSO, Indian International School and Vernus International School, among many others. DSO is also close to the Academic City, which offers families with a wide range of higher education choices for children.
Smart City
The Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority recently announced that it has successfully upgraded its existing Integrated Building Management System (IBMS) that looks after 40 buildings within DSO to an Artificial Intelligence-enabled IBMS.
The system connects almost 60,000 points of control from all the buildings and plants within the high-tech park through a Local Area Network (LAN) and uses Tridium’s Niagara Framework to integrate all the digital data streams available across the network. Data is aggregated centrally and analysed through an artificial intelligence-enabled approach, with algorithms designed to recognise and react to patterns. Every data point in the building portfolio is consolidated into a single system to optimise information management and decision-making.
Healthcare at DSO
DSO is home for one of the largest private hospitals in the country, apart from many medical centres and healthcare facilities. Fakeeh University Hospital is a state-of-the-art smart hospital and medical university, developed by Saudi Arabia’s premier healthcare provider - Fakeeh Care. The facility is built on 1 million square foot area and has a potential to see 700,000 patients a year. A 350-bed smart hospital built for medical excellence, the facility has specialised birthing centres, one of largest emergency departments, fully automated robotic pharmacy and much more. Fakeeh University Hospital works on a fully integrated care model where patients can seek care in the hospital, virtually through teleconsults or even in their houses using the home care services.
Preferred location to live and work
The number of residents across DSO increased by 14 percent in 2020, bringing the total population to 88,000 compared to 77,000 in 2019. This rise is the outcome of the DSOA’s integrated strategic plan, which is based on four main axes: a smart city, an advanced technology park, the happiest people, and a desired community. Through this strategy that is aligned with the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021, DSOA has succeeded in realising its goal of shaping an integrated technology city that provides all the necessary elements for living and working in a smart environment. DSO boosts more than 20,000 apartments within 145 residential buildings and 663 retail shops to serve the needs of DSO’s population and its neighbouring communities.
Luxury living
DSO embraces two villa communities, Cedre Villas and Semmer Villas, each with its own community facilities and amenities. The Semmer Villas entail 560 standalone luxurious four-bedroom villas of 3,100 square feet in a lifestyle development complete with a community centre, supermarket, retail shops, community swimming pools, and recreational areas. The Cedre Villas is a gated community of 1,207 high-quality and spacious three-, four-, and five-bedroom villas in four sizes – Luxury (equipped with a private swimming pool), Executive, Twin and Town House ranging from a built up area of 3,830 square feet to 7,280 square feet. The villas also come in a range of different exterior styles: Arabic, modern or traditional.
Community lifestyle
Dubai Silicon Oasis boasts of North Park, a public park situated near Cedre Villas, opened in a bid to enhance the overall resident experience and foster a community spirit. The 35,000 square-meter North Park, set amid a lush landscape, offers a diverse mix of amenities including water fountains, a kids’ play area with a separate section for toddlers, sports facilities, food and beverage options, football pitch, tennis courts, a parking lot for 91 cars, and a variety of amenities.
The existing Central Park at DSO spans 9,129 square meters and includes a lawn, a children’s play area, and a basketball court – all adjacent to one another and surrounded by an all-weather running track. DSO’s popular 81,715-square meter Lake Park also boasts a 1.23 km jogging path, to help residents and visitors create a healthy lifestyle.
Student accommodation
DSOA offers students a 10,000 square meters student accommodation complex built at a total investment value of Dh56 million. Comprising four buildings with fully-furnished units of varying sizes, the complex can accommodate more than 450 students. The complex has attracted male and female students from 51 different nationalities.
The modern and advanced housing facility complies with highest international standards in addressing the academic requirements of students across Dubai. The complex includes retail shops, food and beverage outlets, recreational common areas, and study halls for the students. The facility offers free Wi-Fi access, in addition to providing complementary transport for students between the complex and universities and several shopping centres.
- Advertiser's content
