Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit: rethinking cities and redefining lifestyles

• Taking place on May 12-14 at ADNEC
• Theme of ‘Urban evolution: rethinking cities, redefining how we live’
• Government and industry leader speakers

Senior figures from Abu Dhabi’s government and construction sector are gathering this week at the Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (ADIS) to discuss how rapid population growth, climate pressures and accelerating digital technologies are reshaping how people live, move and connect – and what that means for the cities of the future.

Urban populations are set to grow by 2.5 billion by the middle of this century, according to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, requiring an estimated $106 trillion in global infrastructure investment. Cities that thrive are shifting from isolated infrastructure projects and towards becoming integrated, resilient and economically dynamic urban environments.

With one of the world’s most ambitious capital project and infrastructure development pipelines, Abu Dhabi is at the forefront of this global shift – and the focus of the emirate’s three-day ADIS event is about how urban evolution is not about building more, but building better.

“The question is no longer whether to build. It is how to build well. How to build wisely,” said Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport, who will give the opening address at ADIS.

“Abu Dhabi’s answer is taking shape, day by day, through a long-horizon infrastructure commitment anchored in the leadership’s vision for responsible, people-centred growth,” he said.

In his opening address Al Shorafa will look further at what is needed to build the next generation of cities and the importance of aligning governance and strategic capital deployment.

A ministerial fireside chat will then follow with the UAE’s minister of energy and infrastructure Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, who will talk in more detail about Abu Dhabi’s infrastructure programme. 

Other speakers include Aldar Projects chief executive Adel Abdulla Albreiki, who will discuss how developers are navigating their evolving role to meet rising demand and deliver projects at pace, alongside Jubail Island Investment Company managing director Mounir Haider and Carlos Wakim, chief executive of Bloom Holding.

Eid Alobeidli, director of Musataha and PPP at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, will also join a panel discussing how the structural transformation of infrastructure as an asset class carries strategic implications for governments, developers and investors. 

Further sessions over the three days will cover subjects ranging from data centres, digital infrastructure and dispute resolution, to net zero construction, future mobility networks and “humanising” cities. 

The summit will also feature a dedicated Abu Dhabi Pavilion, showcasing how Abu Dhabi plans, moves and sustains its cities in one unified space. 

Hosted by Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC), ADIS is expected to draw more than 7,000 attendees, with over 100 speakers and 90 exhibitors across 6,000 square metres – three times the size of last year’s inaugural gathering. 

Find out more

AGBI is a media partner of ADIS, which is taking place on May 12-14 at the ICC Hall in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). To find out more go to https://adisummit.ae/adis-2026.