Silicon Valley has long been the epitome of technology excellence. From Scotland to Russia and from China and India, we have witnessed efforts to emulate its success story. Dubai has also been among the recent aspirants of silicon dreams.

A few years ago, Dubai tried to build its own Silicon Valley, but that effort didn't prove very successful. As a venture capitalist put it, Silicon Valley is about building businesses, and for that, all key ingredients need to be there.

In its earlier efforts, Dubai started without appropriate infrastructure, electronics design activities and university. And for a city that relies on tourism and construction businesses, high real-estate costs didn't help either.

It all started in 2004 with the formation of the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA). After a lackluster start, the initiative renewed its bets with the hiring of Jihad Kiwan as chief technology officer in April 2007.

Partnerships
The revived plan includes a partnership with the Rochester Institute of Technology for developing engineering programs, and building the right infrastructure through a new technology city that will cater to 150,000 people. More universities and a massive new airport are also in the pipeline.

A partnership with Synopsys has led to the inception of the Dubai Circuit Design center comprised of design engineers from Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia. The first design was an advanced encryption engine designed in a low-power, 65nm TSMC process.

Having the right people on the DSOA bandwagon is a first step and will prove crucial in developing the right facilities and installations. The build-out of physical infrastructure and the development of talent are further steps in the right direction.

Beyond these efforts, however, the key challenge is creating an environment that fosters entrepreneurial zeal and endeavor.

Dubai, the Arab world's modern face, has a remarkable track record for turning visions into reality. But silicon is a different game altogether and will require far more perseverance and longer-term commitment.

How the DSOA masterminds engineer an environment of genuine innovation and keep it above merely creating made-to-order tech envy will be critical. It's going to be a long journey and something rather uncharacteristic to this city in a hurry.

But the people involved in the renewed plan to build a brand new electronics industry in Dubai are expected to understand challenges better, so it is hoped they will make all the right moves.

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