Robbyant, an embodied AI company within Ant Group, and the Arab Federation for Digital Economy (AFDE) have signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate the deployment and commercialization of embodied AI and robotics across the United Arab Emirates, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and wider Middle East markets.
The agreement creates a framework for the two organizations to support regional deployment, localization and industry adoption of robotic systems. It was signed by AFDE Assistant Secretary-General Dr. Ayman Ghoneim and Yu Liang, head of commercialization at Robbyant.
The partnership will initially focus on five areas: regional commercialization, proof-of-concept projects, Arabic and regional localization, physical AI data and model collaboration, and ecosystem development.
The companies said potential pilot applications will span hospitality, retail, real estate, logistics, industrial operations, smart cities, healthcare and entertainment. The partners will also explore adapting robotic systems for Arabic-language interaction, regional workflows and operating conditions, as well as local cultural and customer requirements.
Any collaboration involving physical AI data and model training will be subject to applicable laws, customer authorization and separate agreements, the companies said.
Focus on Embodied AI Localization
AFDE selected Robbyant based on what it described as the company’s full-stack capabilities in embodied AI, which combines artificial intelligence with robotic perception, reasoning and physical action.
Robbyant released its LingBot 2.0 model series in July 2026. The suite includes LingBot-Depth 2.0, LingBot-Vision, LingBot-VLA 2.0, LingBot-World 2.0, LingBot-Video and LingBot-VA 2.0.
The company describes the suite as an embodied-native “universal brain” designed to support robotic perception, world simulation and action. Its LingBot-VLA 2.0 foundation model supports pre-training across 20 robotic embodiments from 17 hardware brands, according to Robbyant.
The multi-embodiment approach is aimed at allowing AI models to operate across different robotic hardware rather than being tied to a single platform.
Robbyant is also preparing to launch a cloud-based model toolchain platform intended to support development, evaluation and deployment of embodied AI applications. The company has not disclosed a launch date.
The partnership comes as Gulf economies invest in automation, smart-city infrastructure and AI capabilities as part of broader digital transformation efforts. The UAE and other countries in the region have been pursuing applications of AI across logistics, healthcare, retail and industrial operations.
Commercial Deployments
Robbyant said its technology is already being used in commercial environments, including pharmacies, logistics facilities and industrial machine-tending operations.
In one deployment with Guo Da Drugstore, the company introduced a “Smart Pharmacy” robotics solution powered by its LingBot 2.0 models. Robbyant said the system has improved operational efficiency, particularly during peak periods and overnight shifts.
Under the MoU, Robbyant and AFDE will work with public- and private-sector stakeholders to identify additional use cases and develop regional deployment opportunities.
The agreement does not specify investment commitments, deployment targets or revenue expectations. Its initial focus is establishing partnerships and pilot projects that could support wider commercialization of embodied AI and robotics across the Middle East.
