Bold Technologies and My Aion Launch $2.5B AI-Powered Smart City Platform in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi-based Bold Technologies, a subsidiary of Bold Holdings, has partnered with international AI firm My Aion to develop a groundbreaking $2.5 billion smart city platform. Titled Aion Sentia Cognitive City, the initiative aims to revolutionize urban infrastructure management using artificial intelligence.

Powered by Maia, an advanced AI engine created by My Aion, the platform will optimize and coordinate complex urban systems such as mobility, energy, healthcare, education, and digital public services. My Aion CEO Daniele Marinelli emphasized the platform’s intuitive capabilities, stating that it will understand users well enough to make personalized recommendations — from booking anniversary dinners to automating citywide systems — all without user intervention.

The project is set to debut in Abu Dhabi within the next 18 months, with plans for global expansion thereafter. Structured under a $2.5 billion Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, the initiative reflects a strong public-private partnership. Under this model, Bold Technologies and My Aion will construct and manage the smart city infrastructure during an operational phase, before transferring ownership and control to the UAE government.

Bold Technologies CEO Thani Al Thani Al Falasi highlighted the initiative's national impact: “This project will drive job creation for UAE nationals, nurture local innovation, and play a crucial role in strengthening the country’s AI ecosystem.”

Marinelli added that relocating My Aion’s global operations to Abu Dhabi marks a strategic move, citing the UAE’s robust infrastructure and supportive regulatory environment for scaling AI technologies.

Crypto and AI: A Growing Synergy

The announcement comes amid increasing interest in the intersection of AI and blockchain technologies. On May 20, Catena Labs, led by Circle co-founder Sean Neville, revealed plans for an AI-native financial institution, arguing that AI systems benefit significantly from using stablecoins over traditional payments.

Similarly, Binance co-founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao, speaking at the Token2049 event in Dubai, underscored crypto’s utility in AI integration, declaring, “The currency for AI is crypto,” and pointing to blockchain’s broader potential beyond token launches.