• Building on the strategic partnership announced last year, Holcim UAE and carbon storage innovator 44.01 have achieved a milestone in industrial decarbonization with the UAE’s first continuous, live-condition carbon capture and underground mineralization pilot for the cement industry now fully operational in Fujairah.

Following its official Commissioning Day, the facility has been fully operational since 15 July, capturing CO₂ directly from the flue gas of Holcim’s Fujairah Cement Plant, designed to capture 4 to 4.5 tonnes of CO₂ daily.

The captured CO₂ is transported to 44.01’s mineralization site, where it is injected deep underground into Fujairah’s naturally occurring ultramafic rock formations, undergoing mineralization into solid carbonate rock through an accelerated natural process that provides a permanent, local carbon storage solution.

Ali Said, CEO of Holcim UAE & Oman, commented, “When we announced this partnership, we set out to prove that industrial decarbonization is not a far-off goal, but an immediate reality. Achieving full-time capture and mineralization at our Fujairah plant is an important step forward. Delivering on Holcim’s NextGen Growth strategy, we are leading industrial decarbonization in the UAE by bringing scalable, sustainable, and innovative solutions to market. Through our active carbon capture and mineralization efforts, we are permanently storing carbon and creating in-country value, sustainability, and circularity into the foundation of the built environment. Deep cross-industry partnerships remain vital to accelerating the UAE’s 2050 Net Zero target.”

This operational milestone marks the transition of the project from a pioneering concept to a proven, real-world decarbonization solution. By demonstrating the complete carbon management cycle, from capture and specialized transport to permanent in-situ mineralization under live industrial conditions, the initiative showcases a practical and scalable pathway to reducing emissions in hard-to-abate sectors. Over the next six months, the pilot will continue generating critical operational insights to validate the scalability and commercial potential of permanent carbon storage.

Beyond its technological achievement, the project highlights the power of local collaboration and cross-industry partnerships in accelerating the UAE’s decarbonization agenda and supporting its Net Zero 2050 ambitions. At the same time, it establishes a global benchmark for the cement industry, contributing to Holcim’s broader portfolio of pioneering CCUS initiatives and demonstrating a replicable model for industrial carbon reduction worldwide.

“This Fujairah project demonstrates what 44.01 is building: real projects that deliver safe, permanent CO₂ storage locally. By integrating our in-situ mineralisation technology with Holcim’s live cement operations, we are proving that permanent carbon storage can be deployed today to decarbonise an industrial site. This milestone supports the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 vision while also establishing a scalable model that can be replicated across diverse industries and geological settings worldwide.” added, Talal Hasan, Founder and CEO of 44.01.

The successful operation of the pilot is made possible through strong public-private collaboration, supported by key partners including the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation (FNRC), the Fujairah Environment Authority (FEA), NT Energies and Gulf Cryo.

Synology®, a global technology company that enables businesses to manage, secure, and protect their data launched the DiskStation neo+ Series, comprising the DS1825neo+, DS1525neo+, DS925neo+, and DS725neo+. This new lineup introduces a more accessible memory configuration, allowing customers to easily balance performance and budget requirements.

The launch comes as demand for cloud and data services continues to grow across the UAE. According to a market report published in May 2026, the UAE cloud services market is estimated to have a valuation of USD 6.15 billion and is projected to reach USD 9.34 billion by 2032. As organizations adopt more cloud-based applications and manage increasing volumes of business data, the need for flexible storage, backup, and data management infrastructure is also growing.

“Desktop models remain at the heart of our NAS ecosystem,” said Bie-I Chu, Executive Vice President of the Synology NAS Group. “As memory market dynamics shift, the neo+ Series reinforces our commitment to accessibility, giving customers the freedom to scale hardware according to their immediate budget and future growth.”

Mike Chen, Senior Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East at Synology, added: “Businesses in the UAE are adopting more cloud-based tools, but they also require greater flexibility in how their data is stored, protected, and accessed. The DiskStation neo+ Series gives organizations a practical way to start with what they need today and expand their memory, storage capacity, and network performance as their requirements grow.”

Affordable entry point

Built on the same platform as the DS Plus Series, the new neo+ models feature 4GB non-ECC DDR4 SODIMM memory as their default configuration, making the series significantly more affordable for users upfront.

The neo+ Series will coexist alongside the standard DS Plus Series models, providing a broader range of flexible choices in response to market dynamics.

Uncompromising performance

The new lineup is equipped with built-in M.2 slots for SSD caching and 2.5GbE ports, with storage capacity expandable through the DX525 expansion unit. In addition, the DS1825neo+ and DS1525neo+ feature PCIe 3.0 slots for optional 10GbE or 25GbE network adapter cards for further expansion.

To ensure a highly diverse upgrade path for the future, these models fully support existing ECC memory upgrade options, allowing users to expand their capacity up to 32GB as their workloads grow.¹

Comprehensive DSM capability

Powered by Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM), the neo+ Series delivers comprehensive solutions for data sharing, synchronization, backup, and surveillance. Synology Drive turns the system into a private cloud with cross-platform access and site-to-site synchronization for distributed teams.

Active Backup Suite protects Windows, Linux, and macOS devices, virtual machines, and cloud accounts, with flexible off-site backup options. Surveillance Station adds an on-premises NVR for multi-site security monitoring.

SUMEA, the Dubai-headquartered international sourcing, procurement and supply chain group, has opened SUMEAWORLD, a nearly 12,000 square metre global trade hub in DP World’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), consolidating sourcing, procurement, warehousing and global distribution under one roof.

The facility, secured on a 20-year commitment, will serve as SUMEA’s regional headquarters and central logistics platform, enabling customers and business partners to source, consolidate and re-export products across more than 75 countries from a single integrated hub in Dubai.

Founded in Congo as a consumer-goods business, SUMEA has evolved into an international sourcing and supply chain group supported by a network of over 300 suppliers, including global brands and leading OEM manufacturers. SUMEAWORLD brings together consumer electronics, building materials, retail goods, industrial equipment and other product categories into one integrated ecosystem, strengthening the company’s ability to serve customers across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and beyond.

“SUMEAWORLD is the natural next step in our journey. Dubai has given us the platform to connect sourcing, supply and distribution on a global scale, and SUMEAWORLD brings all of that together in one place. It is a faster, smarter and more connected way for our partners to move their products to the markets that need them,” said Dhirraj Tilani, Managing Director of SUMEAWORLD.

“SUMEA’s 20-year commitment reflects the kind of long-term confidence that shapes Jafza’s growth. For businesses managing multi-market sourcing and distribution, having a partner of this scale operating from within the free zone strengthens the wider ecosystem they can plug into. It reinforces Jafza’s role as a base from which companies build resilient operations across Africa, Asia and the Middle East,” said Ebtesam Alkaabi, Senior Vice President, Sales, Jafza.

SUMEA has built its position at the crossroads of major shipping corridors, manufacturing centers and emerging markets. Its Dubai headquarters complements its offices in Singapore and China, allowing it to stay close to key manufacturing hubs while delivering market-specific solutions that meet different regulatory, commercial and delivery requirements.

SUMEA also serves as the primary procurement and supply platform for the wider Group’s operations across the Republic of Congo, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, supporting businesses spanning travel services, IT, retail, construction and project supplies. SUMEAWORLD has been developed to support this expanding demand while creating a scalable platform for future growth across Africa and other international markets.