By Rafiq Vayani
ABU DHABI: The Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC) has announced the second Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (ADIS), taking place from 12-14 May 2026 at ICC Hall in ADNEC Centre.
The emirate’s flagship conference and exhibition for infrastructure and urban development, ADIS 2026 returns with an expanded format reflecting growing global demand and a sharpened focus on scale, impact, and delivery.
Held under the theme Urban Evolution: Rethinking Cities, Redefining How We Live, the summit will bring together heads of government, global CEOs, developers, investors, and innovators from across the global infrastructure ecosystem to accelerate the delivery of more resilient, sustainable, and people centred cities.
Anchored by Abu Dhabi’s US$57 billion infrastructure pipeline spanning housing, transport, culture, education, and social infrastructure, ADIS 2026 positions the emirate as a model for sustainable urban development and translating ambition into measurable outcomes.
According to ADPIC’s Achievement Report, the Centre successfully delivered 100 capital projects in 2025, marking a significant milestone in Abu Dhabi’s urban development and demonstrating the emirate’s ability to execute at scale.
His Excellency Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, said: “ADIS is not simply a platform to showcase what Abu Dhabi plans to build. It is a platform to demonstrate how we plan, design, and deliver cities that place people at the centre of development. Through integrated urban planning, advanced mobility systems, and world class infrastructure, Abu Dhabi continues to shape communities that are connected, sustainable, and built to enhance quality of life.
‘’The challenges cities face today require collaboration at an unprecedented scale, and Abu Dhabi remains committed to sharing its governance frameworks, delivery models, and partnerships with the world. ADIS 2026 brings together leaders from across the global ecosystem to advance solutions that enable cities to grow responsibly while serving the needs of communities.”
With 70 per cent of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2050, the pressure to build smarter, more sustainable cities has never been greater. Abu Dhabi’s economy reached a record AED325.7 billion in Q3 2025, with construction expanding by 13.9 per cent year-on-year. ADIS 2026 is both a response to this global challenge and a platform to showcase how the emirate is translating vision into delivery.
His Excellency Eng Maysarah Mahmoud Eid, Director General of ADPIC,said: “Abu Dhabi has earned its position as a global benchmark for infrastructure excellence not through ambition alone, but through execution. ADIS 2026 reflects our continued commitment to advancing this momentum, convening leading global partners, investors and innovators to collectively advance how cities are planned, financed, and delivered. Abu Dhabi’s pipeline is open to the world, and we invite the world’s best to help shape it.”
ADIS 2026 will feature a multi-day conference, a dedicated exhibition, and structured matchmaking centred on four critical themes shaping the future of cities worldwide – delivery-first infrastructure, urban wellbeing, smart solutions, sustainability and resilience. Spanning governance frameworks, digital infrastructure, sustainable housing, and advanced construction, the programme is designed to move beyond dialogue, driving execution at scale and accelerating low-carbon urban development.
For the first time, ADIS 2026 will feature dedicated conference sessions in collaboration with the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), the world’s leading global representative body for consulting engineers, focusing on contracting, dispute avoidance, and resolution practices under the Abu Dhabi Capital Projects Framework, signalling Abu Dhabi’s commitment to governance excellence and internationally aligned project delivery standards.
ADIS 2026 will also see significantly expanded international participation from Singapore, China, and Türkiye, building on the strong momentum generated by ADPIC’s international roadshows across these markets in 2025, which yielded nine MoUs and more than 30 B2B meetings. The expanded presence provides a platform for each nation’s contractors, developers, and industry leaders to showcase their capabilities and engage directly with Abu Dhabi’s project owners, developers, and delivery authorities, fostering long-term collaboration and shared investment.
Building on its inaugural edition, attended by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, which welcomed over 4,100 participants from more than 100 countries and concluded with 15 strategic agreements, ADIS 2026 will take place with greater scale, broader reach, and a clear mandate to move from ambition to delivery.
