'Qatar Moving From AI Experimentation To Real-World Impact'

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Joel Johnson | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: Qatar is moving beyond AI experimentation towards practical applications that deliver measurable business impact, with infrastructure, data sovereignty and skills development emerging as key priorities, according to Microsoft Qatar General Manager Ahmad El Dandachi.

Speaking to The Peninsula at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2026 (MWC26), El Dandachi said AI readiness should not be viewed as a binary concept but as a continuous process of adoption, learning and adaptation.

“One of the misconceptions about AI readiness is that sometimes we think it's binary. It's either we're 100 percent ready, or we're not ready at all,” he said. Microsoft is working with government entities and enterprise customers in Qatar to move AI initiatives from proof-of-concept projects into operational applications, including the automation of critical business processes.

While adoption has grown through experimentation and AI agents, El Dandachi said the focus is now shifting towards delivering tangible results rather than using AI primarily as an assistance tool.

Data sovereignty and residency have become major priorities for Microsoft's Qatari customers, with organisations increasingly seeking to keep data within the country and retain control over security and governance.

He highlighted Microsoft's local infrastructure, which includes data centres in Qatar and three availability zones, allowing customers to use its public sovereign cloud while retaining control of their data.

The General Manager noted that Microsoft provides resilience capabilities through its data centres in North Europe and West Europe, enabling critical operations to continue outside Qatar in the event of a major disruption.

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He emphasised that the European facilities supporting these arrangements are certified by Qatar's National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) and the Qatari government.

El Dandachi identified three pillars underpinning Qatar's AI development, including infrastructure, security and governance, and skills.

Microsoft has invested in Qatar's AI infrastructure for more than four years, developing the computing capacity, power and data centre capabilities needed to support adoption.

A key development is the deployment of Azure OpenAI in Qatar, allowing government and private sector organisations to access AI services through infrastructure located within the country.

The second pillar is security and governance, the official underlined, highlighting that strong safeguards and governance frameworks are essential to building customer trust and accelerating AI adoption.

The third is skills development, particularly as organisations increasingly integrate AI agents into their operations.

“You still need to have humans who are going to control agents,” he said, emphasising that human oversight, training and awareness will remain essential as AI capabilities advance.

Microsoft is also strengthening its partnerships across Qatar's technology ecosystem, including collaborations with telecommunications operators like Vodafone Qatar, as well as its strategic partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).

El Dandachi underscored the planned announcement of Microsoft's Azure OpenAI deployment in Qatar in collaboration with MCIT, describing it as a major milestone for the country's AI ambitions.

He added,“This is a big milestone, a big momentum, and this will take us to the next level in terms of AI expansion in the country,” he said.

As Qatar accelerates its digital transformation, experts note that the transition from AI experimentation to measurable impact is set to become a“defining priority” for both government and business.

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