Dubai Silicon Oasis

Dubai Silicon Oasis, known as DSO (Arabic: واحة دبي للسيليكون), is a free-trade zone established by the Dubai government in 2003, spanning an area of 7.2 square kilometers. It is located in the Nadd Hessa community in Dubai.

Dubai Silicon Oasis واحة دبي للسيليكون
City and Urban
Other transcription(s)
The Dubai Silicon Oasis Headquarters
Nickname:  DSO
Coordinates: 25°07′27″N 055°22′52″E
Country	UAE
Establishment	2003
Area
• Total	7.2 km2 (2.8 sq mi)
Population  (2020)
• Total	88,000[1]
Website	dsoa.ae

History

In 2003, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, officially announced the Dubai Silicon Oasis to operate under the Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority.^[2] DSO formally opened in 2004 with the main aim of being a hub of innovation and technology, which is why it's called Silicon Oasis. It includes a thousand companies and it is the only free zone where you can live and work.^[3] In 2005, Dubai Silicon Oasis was appointed as an independent authority according to Decree No. 16, and that Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) has received its land spanning an area of 7.2 million square meters, to continue the establishment process of the DSO.^[4]

In 2006, the infrastructure of the DSO establishment was completed and recognized as a free-trade zone. In the same year, the construction of the first phase of the DSOA's Headquarters, the 560 Semmer Villas Project, road works, electricity, utilities, and telecommunications network were completed.^[5][6][7] In 2010, UPS Airlines Flight 6 nearly crashed into DSO.^[8] In 2015, DSOA established the Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), spanning a total area of approximately 60,000 square feet, then expanded the space to 108,000 square feet, thus allowing Dtec to host additional 800 startups. By the end of 2020, the DSOA became the home of more than 900 startups from 72 countries.^[9] In 2018, DSOA established Dubai's first integrated smart city project, the Dubai Digital Park (DDP). Spanning an area of 150,000 square meters and comprises 47,000 square meters of office space, 17,000 square meters of retail units, 235 smart residential apartments and more than 5,000 square meters of ready-made and plug and play offices.^[10][11][12]

The DSO Headquarters, also known as the Pineapple Building, was inaugurated by Narendra Modi. It serves as a hub for many corporate offices. The Walk-in Smart Police Station opened in October 2020 to provide 24-hour security services to residents and workers in the oasis. The station provides 46 services divided into 4 packages: security services, community services, traffic services, and certificates and permits services.^[13]

Location

Dubai Silicon Oasis is located in Nadd Hessa, near the center of Dubai at the intersection of Dubai–Al-Ain Road and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road.^[14]

Education

In 2008, DSOA established the Rochester Institute of Technology of Dubai in DSO, a non-profit global campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, as part of an agreement between DSOA and RIT-New York.^[15][16] DSO is also home to 3 schools: GEMS Wellington Academy,^[17] The Indian International School - DSO^[18] and Vernus International School.^[19]

Sponsorship

DSOA has been the jersey sponsor of Shabab Al Ahli Basketball.^[20]

Dubai Metro

There will be Dubai Silicon Oasis metro station on the Blue Line in 2029.^[21]

Preceding station	Dubai Metro			Following station
International City 2 & 3 towards Creek or Centrepoint		Blue Line Opening 2029		Academic City Terminus

References

1. "DSO: Live, work, play and invest in Dubai's only hi-tech community". gulfnews.com.
2. "مكتوم يصدر قانون إنشاء واحة دبي للسيليكون كسلطة مستقلة" [Maktoum issues a law establishing Dubai Silicon Oasis as an independent authority]. Al-Bayan (in Arabic). 2005-07-20. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
3. Haziq, Saman. "Silicon Oasis: Discover an oasis of peace in Dubai". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
4. "Dubai Silicon Oasis granted independence". Gulf News. 2005-07-20. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
5. Awadallah, Sameh. "دبي للسيليكون» تسلم ثــــاني مراحل "فلل السدر" في أبريل»" ["Dubai Silicon" delivers the second phase of "Cedr Villas" in April]. Emarat Al Youm (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-10-11.
6. "500 مليون درهم قيمة مشاريع المباني في "دبي للسيليكون" - الاقتصادي - البيان". Al-Bayan (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-10-11.
7. "Size, comfort, safety: why you should live in a villa in Dubai Silicon Oasis". Gulf News. 2019-11-27. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
8. "Air Accident Investigation Report - Uncontained Cargo Fire Leading to Loss of Control Inflight and Uncontrolled Descent Into Terrain" (PDF). General Civil Aviation Authority. July 24, 2013. p. 30. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2015. At this point had the aircraft remained on the current heading and descent profile it would have intercepted the terrain at or near a large urban conurbation, Dubai Silicone Oasis.
9. "Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority revenue hits Dhs544.7 million". Gulf Today. 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
10. "واحة دبي للسيليكون تستقطب 1731 شركة جديدة في 2020 بزيادة 54%" [Dubai Silicon Oasis attracts 1,731 new companies in 2020, an increase of 54%]. Al Khaleej (in Arabic). 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
11. ""واحة السيليكون" تفتتح مجمّع دبي الرقمي بـ 1.5 مليار درهم" ["Silicon Oasis" opens the Dubai Digital Park at a cost of 1.5 billion dirhams]. Al Khaleej (in Arabic). 2021-01-16. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
12. "افتتاح "مجمع دبي الرقمي" باستثمارات 408 ملايين دولار" [Opening of the "Dubai Digital Park" with investments of $408 million]. Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
13. "'Walk-in' Smart Police Station (SPS) in now open in Dubai Silicon Oasis" (Press release). Dubai Silicon Oasis. 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
14. Janho, Samir; Elgaali, Elgaali; Akram, Majid (March 2019). "Traffic Congestion Improvement on Cloverleaf Interchange: Dubai - al Ain Road (E66) and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311)". 2019 Advances in Science and Engineering Technology International Conferences (ASET). pp. 1–5. doi:10.1109/ICASET.2019.8714221. ISBN 978-1-5386-8271-5. S2CID 155108187.
15. Wam. "Ahmed bin Saeed lays foundation stone of Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai". Emirates 24/7. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
16. "Rochester Institute of Technology to open in Dubai Silicon Oasis". Archived from the original on 2011-04-26.
17. "A unique pathway to higher education in Dubai". Gulf News. 2021-03-14. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
18. "أحمد بن سعيد يفتتح مدرسة دولية في واحة السيليكون" [Ahmed bin Saeed opens an international school in Silicon Oasis]. Al-Bayan (in Arabic). 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
19. "New American school opens in Dubai despite COVID-19 pandemic". Gulf News. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
20. "Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai - FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2019 GBA Qualifiers". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
21. "Dubai Metro Blue Line: Where will it go and when will it open?". The National. Abu Dhabi. 25 November 2023.