Dubai Chambers has signed a memorandum of understanding with India's Nasscom to draw Indian agentic AI and deeptech firms to the emirate, the two said on August 20.

The deal is a talent play as much as an investment one. Dubai has capital, regulatory speed and a government pushing AI adoption across the private sector, but a shallow domestic engineering base. Nasscom, the National Association of Software and Service Companies, represents an industry worth $315bn across more than 3,500 members, giving the chamber a direct channel into one of the largest pools of AI and software talent anywhere.

Under the agreement, the two will build partnerships between businesses in each market, share expertise and run joint initiatives on agentic AI, the branch of the technology in which systems act on tasks rather than simply generate outputs.

Indian companies setting up or expanding operations from Dubai are the intended beneficiaries, gaining access to business events and joint programmes covering companies, investors and entrepreneurs on both sides.

Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, president and chief executive of Dubai Chambers, said the aim was to build "an integrated ecosystem that supports the adoption of Agentic AI" that would lift efficiency and productivity.

The agreement follows the creation in June of the chamber's executive committee for agentic AI, set up to speed adoption among private companies. Its remit covers approving training tracks, designing incubators for agentic AI companies and backing firms developing products in the field.

Indian technology firms have been expanding into the emirate through other channels. Bilateral trade has grown under the comprehensive economic partnership agreement in force since 2022, and Emirati sovereign funds have flagged AI among their priorities for Indian investment.