Report to"Siemens": The Middle East is leading the global transformation in infrastructure
Dubai, June 23 / WAM / A new study issued by Siemens revealed that the Middle East region is ready to enter a new phase of infrastructure transformation characterized by independence, flexibility and sustainability.
According to the Middle East Infrastructure Transformation Index 2026, the region is ahead of many regions in the world in its commitment to this transformation, with the region’s industrial sector leaders showing stronger investment trends and an increasing sense of urgency towards accelerating the clean energy transition.
The Siemens study, “Enabling Transformation: How a New Generation of Infrastructure Assets is Reshaping the Middle East,” which is based on a survey of 400 senior executives and in-depth interviews with industry leaders and experts in the region, revealed a unified regional landscape towards achieving impact, with 66% of executives citing the need to accelerate the pace of transformation in the energy sector at the global level, compared to 57% at the global level.
Hakan Ozdemir, CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure in the Middle East and Siemens Qatar, said that the “Middle East Infrastructure Transformation Index 2026” highlights a pivotal transformation taking place in the region, as infrastructure evolves to become a strategic engine for competitiveness, resilience and sustainable growth, and as energy systems become more complex and demand continues to grow, success will depend on the ability to connect data, intelligence and physical infrastructure at scale.
According to the report, the future begins now with autonomous infrastructure powered by artificial intelligence, as artificial intelligence for the industrial sector contributes to accelerating operational transformation, unleashing unprecedented levels of efficiency, productivity and sustainability across national systems.
62% of executives expect AI to reshape infrastructure operations within a period not exceeding three years.
The readiness of institutions to adopt automation is also evident, as 56% of institutions reported that they are ready to implement autonomous systems in buildings, while 57% plan to make significant investments in this field during the next year.
The need for smarter technologies is also witnessing momentum, with 69% of respondents reporting that their organizations need more sophisticated solutions to enable rapid data integration, as a key requirement to overcome enterprise challenges and legacy systems.
The rapid transformations in the region have imposed the need for infrastructure systems capable of predicting failures, neutralizing failures, and learning from every failure.
61% of participants confirmed that industrial artificial intelligence contributes to enhancing the flexibility of critical infrastructure, which reflects the direct practical applications of this technology.
64% indicated that smart grids and network management software represent major enabling factors, while 66% support the integration of the various components of the energy system, such as electricity, gas, hydrogen, and the transportation sector, within a unified and interconnected platform.
According to the report, the region continues to proactively invest in cross-border electrical interconnection projects and regional energy trading arrangements, which are essential steps to ensure reliable and more resilient electricity supplies, and enhance the ability to respond during outages or changing and volatile climate conditions.
Reducing operational emissions has emerged as a key priority for the region’s institutions, with 70% of them already setting targets to reduce direct and indirect emissions, compared to 58% globally. Digitization is also seen as the critical driver of this transformation, with 68% seeing it as a key enabler.
Cooperation is emerging as a key pillar of the region’s transformation path, with 65% confirming that companies and governments work closely on energy system policies, exceeding the global average of 59%.
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