DEWA and Dell Technologies Sign MoU on Smart Grid Pilots and Cyber Resilience

The agreement was signed by Hussain Lootah, DEWA's executive vice president of transmission power, and Walid Yehia, Dell Technologies' managing director for the South Gulf, according to the announcement carried by the Emirates News Agency on November 8.

The memorandum sets out two main strands of work. The first is a set of reference designs and pilot projects for the smart grid, substations and grid operations, intended to improve reliability, monitoring and control, and recovery after disruptions while remaining compatible with the platforms DEWA already runs. The second covers edge computing built on hardened infrastructure, with remote and field sites managed centrally. The agreement also covers wider use of AI and data management across DEWA's operations.

For a utility that runs Dubai's power and water networks, the focus on resilience reflects the growing exposure of operational technology, the systems that control physical equipment, as more grid assets are connected and monitored digitally. Moving computing closer to substations and field equipment can speed up monitoring and control, but it also widens the area that has to be secured.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, DEWA's managing director and chief executive, said the collaboration supports the authority's use of AI to make electricity and water services more efficient and reliable. Yehia said Dell aims to give DEWA a secure and resilient digital foundation.

The memorandum is exploratory. Neither side disclosed a value, timeline or specific sites for the pilots.

It follows a December 2025 meeting between Al Tayer and a Dell delegation, at which the two sides discussed Internet of Things, edge computing and data centre technology for grid reliability, renewable energy integration and water management, according to DEWA. Dell's links with DEWA go back to 2017, when DEWA's digital subsidiary Moro Hub signed an MoU with the company. DEWA also signed a long-term cybersecurity partnership with Fortinet in 2025.

The next concrete sign of progress would be the selection of the first pilot sites for grid and substation work, which the parties have not yet announced.