Gulf Construction Online - Flourishing OASIS

Dubai Review

The headquarters of the DSOA ... impressive.

Flourishing OASIS

Gulf Construction takes a tour of Dubai Silicon Oasis and sees the progress the project has made since its launch in 2004.

01 April 2009

Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) continues to be a beehive of construction activity, with hundreds of projects worth billions of dollars continuing apace.

These include new factories, villas, residential, commercial, educational and office developments, which are in various stages of completion.
These developments show that DSO, which was established in 2004 with the vision of becoming the world’s first integrated technology park, is well on its way to achieving its vision, Shahla Ahmed Abdul Razak, deputy CEO at Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), tells Gulf Construction.
Fully-owned by the government of Dubai, DSO is strategically located on the Emirates Road. Launched in 2004 with the aim of becoming a leading centre for advanced electronic innovation, design, and development, DSO’s urban master-planned community spans 7.2 sq km with office towers, research and development (R&D) and industrial zones, educational institutions, luxury apartments, villas, hotels, healthcare and a full range of lifestyle facilities.
Since then, this high-tech hub has already attracted Dh1.4 billion ($408.7 million) in foreign investments from companies that have taken up land and are constructing their own facilities within the development, says Razak.
Among the high-profile names to enter the park with manufacturing ventures are the UK’s Times Group and Austria’s Lisec, the world’s largest manufacturer of insulating glass and machines for photovoltaics.
The Times Group, which manufactures computer, notebook, plasma and LCD television, expects its facility to start production in the last quarter of this year, while work on Lisec’s research, development and manufacturing facility is under way.
This will be the Lisec’s first major factory outside Austria in terms of R&D and photovoltaic and thin-film technology.
Other investors that the park has attracted include semi-conductor manufacturer Wacker, which is setting up a facility for training, sales and marketing, and Porsche, which is building a facility to train engineers.
DSO has so far attracted 210 companies, of which more than 70 per cent are from the IT sector focusing on software development and integrated circuit or IC design and the rest are from engineering.
The masterplan targets a minimum of 500 companies in a five-year period until 2012, says Razak, adding that DSOA has allocated Dh500 million ($136 million) to invest in start-up-technology companies over five years. Most of the developments are expected to be completed by 2012.
Along with Intel, DSO has invested in Sphere Networks, a specialist in network management software. It also has a 100 per cent ownership in Dubai Circuit Design, a chip design facility employing 15 engineers and servicing the US and European markets.
DSO also partnered with the US-based Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and the first phase of this five-year project – costing Dh40 million ($10.8 million) and offering master’s degrees – is already operational. The next phase is expected to cost between Dh800 million and Dh1 billion ($217-272 million).
Also in the pipeline is the development of a German hospital.
“What differentiates us from other free zones is that we like to become partners in opportunities. There is a team dedicated to study on a daily basis as there are a lot of opportunities coming to the table. We don’t just build and lease,” Razak says.
DSO features high-end IT infrastructure facilities, plug-and-play offices, server farms and top-end EDA (electronic design automation) tools, efficient transport and distribution facilities, and well-planned amenities. It also boasts 30 per cent lower costs compared to other free zones, she says.
The industrial areas are centrally placed within the park and cover an area of 1.2 million sq m in two zones separated by 97,472 sq m of commercial space. This area is surrounded by a choice of high (162,511 sq m), medium (686,000 sq m) and low-density (1.3 million sq m) residential space and offices.
Meanwhile, work on the DSOA’s Dh1.5 billion ($408 million) villa project is well on track and scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2010. The project comprises 1,047 villas classified into four categories – executive, luxury, twin and town – and built in three styles: Arabic, traditional and modern. The gated community development will have amenities such as playgrounds, pools, a community centre, and a shopping complex with restaurants and coffee shops.
The villas will be delivered in two phases. The first phase is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of this year and the rest in the first quarter of 2010.
This apart, private investments in real estate is estimated to be over Dh10 billion ($2.72 billion), says Razak, adding that more than 150 residential, commercial and office buildings are under construction, with 300 plots having been taken up by more than 250 developers.
In conclusion, Razak says that with its perfect blend of hi-tech industry, commerce and education, as well as its comfortable living environment, DSO’s success remains assured.