US-UAE healthcare alliance drives digital transformation waveUS-UAE healthcare alliance drives digital transformation wave

The healthcare partnership between the United States and the United Arab Emirates has entered a dynamic new era defined by innovation, investment, and international collaboration.

Building on decades of goodwill, both nations are leveraging their respective strengths which are America’s medical expertise and technology, and the UAE’s ambitious vision and resources to transform patient care.

One shining example is the presence of top US hospitals in the UAE. Abu Dhabi, determined to become a global health hub, has welcomed American institutions to co-develop its healthcare infrastructure.

In 2019, Abu Dhabi’s public health provider (SEHA) partnered with the renowned Mayo Clinic to jointly operate Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City – one of the UAE’s largest hospitals. This world-class venture not only brings Mayo’s clinical protocols and specialists to the region but also embeds knowledge transfer and training for staff.

Likewise, Cleveland Clinic, in partnership with Mubadala Investment Company established Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Such collaborations ensure that UAE patients receive world-class care at home while fostering continuous knowledge exchange.

UAE at the forefront of digital health innovation

What we now see are some of the most exciting developments are happening in the realm of digital health and health technology. The UAE’s leadership has openly embraced a future in which technology and healthcare go hand in hand and it shows.

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In Abu Dhabi, authorities have implemented Malaffi, the region’s first health information exchange platform. This secure digital system connects 100% of hospitals and clinics across the emirate, allowing instant sharing of patient records among providers.

Beyond government-led platforms, a new generation of Healthtech startups is flourishing in the Emirates, often with backing from UAE and US investors.

Take Alma Health, an Abu Dhabi-based startup founded in 2021, which is reinventing chronic care management. Alma Health’s mobile platform enables patients with chronic conditions (like diabetes or hypertension) to consult doctors virtually, get lab tests at home, and receive their medications delivered – all coordinated through an AI-enhanced app.

By focusing on user experience and preventive care, the company has expanded rapidly from the UAE into Saudi Arabia and Egypt, recently attracting a US$10 million funding round to fuel its growth.

Another standout is BioSapien, a biotech innovator that relocated to the UAE to tap into its thriving medical innovation ecosystem. BioSapien has developed MediChip™, a 3D-printed micro-implant that delivers cancer drugs directly to a tumour, reducing systemic side effects. In late 2024, BioSapien raised US$5.5 million led by local venture funds to advance this technology. Abu Dhabi is funding clinical trials in collaboration with global oncology experts, advancing cancer research in the UAE.

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UAE’s AI everywhere strategy

Underpinning these advancements is the UAE’s national commitment to artificial intelligence, which prominently includes healthcare.

The UAE was one of the first countries to articulate a nationwide AI strategy. In fact, as early as 2017 the UAE government launched the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence – a comprehensive roadmap to adopt AI across sectors as part of its Centennial 2071 goals.

This was followed by the formal National Strategy for AI 2031, setting the ambitious target for the UAE to become a global leader in AI by 2031 with healthcare identified as a key priority area.

It also established new institutions like the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the world’s first graduate-level AI university, to develop talent and research in fields like machine learning, robotics, and AI ethics. Notably, MBZUAI and other UAE research centres are already working on healthcare AI projects, from AI-assisted radiology to genomics, often in collaboration with American universities and companies.

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In practical terms, the UAE’s AI-forward policies translate into a health sector ripe for innovation.

Hospitals in the UAE are piloting AI tools for faster diagnostics – for example, using AI algorithms to detect early signs of diabetic retinopathy from eye scans or to assist radiologists in identifying tumours on imaging. Telemedicine platforms are exploring predictive analytics to personalise care plans, and pharmacies are trialling AI-powered robotics for dispensing medications.

Crucially, the government’s emphasis on “smart regulation” ensures that these technologies are introduced responsibly. The UAE has published AI ethics guidelines and even created a regulatory sandbox that allows innovators (including in digital health) to test AI solutions under supervision.

Healthcare investments and partnerships between US and UAE

What truly distinguishes the US–UAE relationship in healthcare today is the scale of bilateral investment and tech partnerships being launched.

Both governments and private sectors are actively co-investing to push the frontiers of healthcare technology. A landmark development in this arena was the announcement of the U.S.–UAE AI Acceleration Partnership in 2025.

This high-level agreement, unveiled during a US presidential visit to Abu Dhabi, lays the groundwork for deep cooperation in AI and advanced tech. Most eye-catching is the plan to build a massive AI super-computing cluster called Stargate UAE in Abu Dhabi, with an initial capacity of 1 gigawatt (scaling to 5 GW) of data crunching power.

This facility, developed jointly by UAE’s G42 and American tech giants including OpenAI, NVIDIA, Oracle, and Cisco, will provide the computational power for next-gen AI applications, including those in healthcare like genomics analysis and drug discovery.

Alongside infrastructure, the deal includes robust measures to share advanced AI hardware: the UAE will be allowed to import cutting-edge US AI microchips (e.g. NVIDIA’s latest GPUs) under strict compliance protocols, ensuring these powerful tools are used securely for mutual benefit.

For the healthcare sector, this means greater access to computing power and AI tools to drive medical research and innovation, whether it is training complex diagnostic algorithms or running big-data population health studies.

On a more immediate level, there are several public–private partnerships emerging at the intersection of healthcare and AI. Emirates Health Services (which oversees public hospitals in the UAE) signed an MoU in late 2023 with Care.ai, a healthcare AI company from the US, to deploy “smart hospital room” technology.

This involves using generative AI and ambient sensors to continuously monitor patients’ vital signs and behaviours in hospital rooms, alerting nurses to early warning signs such as risk of falls or sudden deterioration.

By early accounts, such AI-augmented monitoring can improve patient safety and outcomes, and the UAE is among the first countries to roll it out at scale in collaboration with its American partners.

Additionally, UAE entities have been actively investing in US Healthtech firms and vice versa. For instance, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign funds and health conglomerates (like the newly formed M42, a merger of Mubadala Health and G42 Healthcare) are investing in US biotech and digital health startups, bringing those solutions to the Emirates.

At the same time, American healthcare providers are partnering in the UAE’s ambitious projects from building telemedicine platforms to establishing research centres.

The key message is that capital and ideas are flowing both ways: a true two-way partnership.

Together, the United States and the UAE are forging a path in digital health that promises life-changing innovations for patients across the globe where they they both can achieve feats in innovation in AI-driven healthcare greater than either could alone in a successful partnership.