For those who aren’t familiar with Silicon Valley, it’s commonly known as America’s high technology business area, or simply put as smart city. Located in the south of San Francisco Silicon Valley gradually lived up to its high-tech city image through the establishment of headquarters of famous companies like Google, Apple Co. and Facebook.
Stepping in to challenge the United States’ Silicon Valley is the formation of the “Silicon Valley” project, assigned by UAE’s Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum. The project, known as the Dubai Silicon Valley (DSO), will cost Dh1.1 billion to construct and will span over 150,000 square meters. Initial reports state it will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority and the regulatory body for DSO, shared his hopes on the project as he stated, “The project articulates Dubai’s Vision 2021 to transform the emirate into a smart city while ensuring that it remains on par with the latest global trends for smart cities.”
The project will be constructed under the UAE Green Building Regulations and Specifications, which enhance environmental sustainability through “green” building materials and solar panels. In DSO, the buildings will have green rooftops of plants and trees that require little irrigation and take benefit from direct sunlight. DSO will also utilize on solar energy to improve energy consumption. For instance, it will use smart lighting systems that respond to traffic, whereby street light poles with digital signboards will be managed by an application.
Dubai’s future smart city will comprise of office, commercial, and residential spaces. This includes a business hotel, a shopping center that consist of restaurants and cafes, and a health and fitness center.
For more information about the exciting project, visit www.dsoa.ae
