ADIA to Launch New Data Lab, with Research Applications Focused on Blockchain

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the largest sovereign wealth fund in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), plans to open an advanced data research center, an independent entity within the fund with goals not solely linked to investment applications.

ADIA Lab will formally launch on Dec. 2 and is part of moves across the government to promote digitalization and advanced technological applications. It will be headed by Horst Simon as director, who was previously at Berkeley Lab and at the U.S. Department of Energy.

The lab's launch will bring together global experts in the data and computational science fields "while helping to embed a scientific mindset throughout its organization," ADIA, estimated by Global SWF to manage $829 billion in assets, said in a statement.