e& Launches UAE’s First AI Laptop with Offline Capabilities
UAE technology giant e& has introduced its first AI-powered laptop, enabling government and enterprise customers to run selected AI tools without an internet connection.
The AI Laptop by e& is powered by Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon X Series processors and comes with built-in large language models (LLMs) optimised specifically for the device’s hardware.
This enables certain AI workloads to be processed directly on the laptop, rather than requiring data to be transmitted to an external cloud platform.
The technology is designed to tackle one of the key barriers limiting wider generative AI adoption among governments and regulated organisations: using AI without moving sensitive information beyond their own systems.
By keeping selected data, models and processing on the device, e& says organisations can maintain greater control over confidential information while reducing reliance on third-party cloud environments.
Targeted Sectors
The laptop is being made available to enterprise customers in the UAE, with government, financial services, healthcare, education, logistics and energy among its target sectors.
The device could also be used at oil and gas sites, logistics hubs and remote educational facilities where internet access is unreliable or intentionally limited due to security requirements.
“Our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies to introduce the first AI Laptop by e& powered by Snapdragon X Series processors combines data sovereignty with advanced productivity in a secure, offline-capable platform,” said Abdulla Ebrahim Al Ahmed, chief government and VVIP relations officer at e& UAE.
“By embedding advanced intelligence directly into the hardware, we are supporting the UAE’s ambition to lead in AI innovation by placing secure, localised computing power directly into the hands of the workforce, driving our economy forward.”
The launch comes as technology companies increasingly shift some AI workloads from large data centres to personal computing devices.
On-Device Models
Processing AI models locally can reduce latency when sending data to and retrieving results from the cloud. It can also reduce an organisation’s reliance on internet connectivity, although cloud infrastructure will still be required for more demanding computational workloads.
Mohammed Al Khairy, head of edge AI for the Middle East and Africa at Qualcomm, said running models on devices could help businesses improve productivity while maintaining greater control over their data.
e& will initially offer two versions of the laptop, although it has not revealed pricing or confirmed whether the device will eventually be made available to individual consumers.
Instead, enterprise customers can contact e& to explore available configurations and options for organisation-wide deployment.