IFZA Leads Global Dialogue as Key Partner of Smart Cities Summit North America 2025

May 1, 2025 – Dubai, UAE: IFZA, Dubai’s most dynamic Free Zone community, is pleased to announce it is the key partner for the upcoming Smart Cities Summit North America (SCSNA), taking place from the 6-8 May at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, San Francisco.

This year’s summit, held in collaboration with Charter Cities Institute, Deep Tech Week, Leading Cities, Miami-Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Smart Cities Americas, and the Smart Cities Council, will bring together 450+ global experts from government, business, and academia. Focussed on the theme ‘Public Safety, AI, and Africa & Middle East in Focus’, the event explores how innovation and policy are shaping the future of urban living. 

IFZA will lead several sessions and conversations at the event, including a keynote address from Holger Schlechter, IFZA’s CFO, who will speak on Dubai’s role as a global business gateway and IFZA’s vision to enable international entrepreneurship, digital economies and drive Foreign Direct Investment into the UAE.

“This summit is a milestone in IFZA’s expansion into the US,” Schlechter said. “San Francisco and Silicon Valley represent the very spirit of entrepreneurship, and we are proud to be part of an event that reflects our core values.  At IFZA, our mission is to empower businesses to grow from Dubai and beyond. By being here, we are introducing more than just a launchpad for American businesses in Dubai - we’re building bridges that enable innovation, collaboration, and sustainable growth between the US, Middle East. Where smart cities and IFZA combine perfectly is the notion of social transformation through economic innovation – this is what IFZA offers and which is central to SCC's mission.”

“In mid-2024 SCC and IFZA commenced our partnership, and from the beginning the strong and strategic links between UAE and the USA were clear, which is why we convened the summit. Roll forward nine months and we’ve had the UAE announce a $1.4 trillion investment in the USA in advance manufacturing, energy and AI, and the new Administration make the UAE one of the first stops on its international calendar,” added Corey Gray, Chair & president of Smart Cities Council.
“Add to the discussion the ability for UAE – Dubai in particular – to be a home base and launchpad for the broader Middle East as well as African engagement, and it is a compelling strategic alliance.” 

As the Middle East regional lead for the Smart Cities Council (SCC), IFZA is committed to forging meaningful connections, sharing global expertise, and enabling international innovators to scale their smart city solutions from Dubai to the world. This mission reflects the broader UAE - US partnership, as both nations continue to strengthen ties across AI, clean energy, infrastructure, and smart technologies. As one of the most open and future-ready economies, the UAE remains a significant economic partner of the United States, and events like the Smart Cities Summit play a crucial role in accelerating cross-border innovation, investment, and collaboration.

Today, more than 1,500 US companies operate in the UAE, including Microsoft, Bank of America, Cleveland Clinic, Uber, and Starbucks. Ranked 8th globally in Kearney’s 2024 FDI Confidence Index, the UAE continues to attract American businesses with its diversified economy - where more than 75% of activity stems from non-oil sectors - and its consistently pro-business regulatory environment.

The summit also follows the recent UAE–USA bilateral talks, which focused on joint investments in AI, healthcare, Future Tech and industrial innovation. With senior delegations in attendance from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman, the event is expected to catalyse high-level dialogue and unlock new cross-border opportunities.

Smart Cities Summit forms a key step in IFZA’s US engagement roadmap, which also includes participation in Deep Tech Week San Francisco (June 22 - 27), Smart City Expo Miami (October 6 - 8), and the flagship Deep Tech Week Dubai (November).