PeopleofSuperintelligence

Lab leader

Faisal Al Bannai

Faisal Al Bannai moves from founding Axiom Telecom to guiding Abu Dhabi's AI research through the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). He earns degrees in management and finance from Boston University and shipping, trade and finance from City University London, then founds Axiom Telecom in 1997. In 2020, he becomes secretary general of ATRC; its Technology Innovation Institute releases Falcon 180B, and ATRC launches Falcon-based AI71. During 2024, he becomes an adviser to the UAE president and joins TIME's 100 Most Influential People in AI list. As of October 2026, he remains ATRC secretary general while TII partners with NVIDIA on a joint AI and robotics lab and launches Falcon-H1 Arabic.

Timeline

  1. 1990s

    A business education

    He earns a bachelor's degree in management and finance from Boston University, then a master's degree in shipping, trade and finance from City University, London.

  2. 1997

    A mobile phone venture

    He founds Axiom Telecom after seeing potential in mobile phones.

  3. 2005

    An early business award

    He receives the Arabian Business Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

  4. August 2020

    Leading Abu Dhabi research

    By August 2020, he is Secretary General of ATRC, which sets Abu Dhabi's advanced-technology R&D strategy and channels research funding.

  5. 2023

    Opening Falcon and AI71

    ATRC's Technology Innovation Institute releases Falcon 180B, and Al Bannai calls for wider access to advanced AI. In November 2023, ATRC launches AI71 on TII's Falcon models; Al Bannai says the models can give users autonomy over their data.

  6. 2024

    A national technology role

    He becomes adviser to the UAE president for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, with ministerial rank. TIME names him to its 100 Most Influential People in AI list.

  7. 2025–2026

    A robotics lab and Arabic AI

    In September 2025, TII partners with NVIDIA to launch a joint AI and robotics lab. In January 2026, it launches Falcon-H1 Arabic, an Arabic model built on a hybrid MambaTransformer architecture.

  8. As of October 2026

    Advising on technology

    He is Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs and Secretary General of ATRC.

Sources and credits

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  1. Getting connected | Gulf News gulfnews.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council sets future R&D priorities | Abu Dhabi Media Office mediaoffice.abudhabi. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. TII Launches Falcon 180B: World's Most Powerful Open LLM | ATRC atrc.gov.ae. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. ATRC Launches AI71 for Decentralised Data Control | ATRC atrc.gov.ae. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. UAE President issues federal decree to appoint advanced technology adviser | The National thenationalnews.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. H.E. Faisal Al Bannai in TIME 100 Most Influential AI Leaders | ATRC atrc.gov.ae. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. Faisal Al Bannai - The Middle East’s Top Tech Leaders 2026 | Forbes Lists forbesmiddleeast.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  8. Hamdan bin Mohammed attends Advanced Technology Research Council meeting in Abu Dhabi | Dubai Media Office protocol.dubai.ae. Checked 14 October 2026.