Origen and TACTICAᴬᴵ, an operational decision-intelligence company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance AI-enabled decision intelligence and digital twin simulation for cities and critical infrastructure. The agreement was signed by Sebastian Shi, Co-founder of Origen, and Dr. Chaouki Kasmi, Co-founder of TACTICAᴬᴵ, at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of Dr. Najwa Aaraj, Chief Executive Officer of the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), and Frank Dai, Founder of Origen
The collaboration will bring together Origen’s data integration and digital twin capabilities with TACTICAᴬᴵ’s agentic AI, geospatial intelligence and command-and-control technologies. The companies intend to jointly develop applications that help government and enterprise operators integrate information, simulate potential scenarios and make better-informed operational decisions. The agreement also supports the development of UAE-based capabilities for predictive, data-driven management of cities and critical infrastructure.
One governed source of data
Decisions on how a city responds to incidents, operates its infrastructure or allocates resources often depend on information held in separate systems, and their consequences become clear only after they are taken. Origen addresses the first of these challenges by governing and integrating existing city data into its digital twin environment, while TACTICAᴬᴵ fuses intelligence from satellite, aerial, ground, sensor and open-source data, so that a single, consistent picture is available to operators on demand. Building on this data fusion, the two companies intend to extend its reach, drawing on available multi-source data resources and an end-to-end data processing toolchain, in line with local data-residency and security requirements.
Origen’s digital twin then serves as the visualization and simulation layer, turning that data into a high-fidelity, real-world scene of the city that combines Earth observation and live operational data, so that operators see conditions as they actually are. TACTICAᴬᴵ provides the multi-source and geospatial intelligence, AI analytics, agentic AI and command-and-control layer that interprets and prioritizes information, supports decisions and coordinates response across teams and assets.
Seeing the future before deciding
The second challenge is understanding consequences in advance. This is a core function of the digital twin: simulating what has not yet happened. Before a decision is taken, the twin renders how a situation is likely to unfold, compares the outcomes of different options and presents their potential impact as a realistic visual scene. TACTICAᴬᴵ’s AI agents can feed scenario inputs into the twin and act on its outputs, recommending courses of action and coordinating the response.
Decision-makers gain an evidence base on which to act, and the time from information to decision is shortened. Testing choices before they are made reduces the risk of costly mistakes and their effect on public services, businesses and residents, moving city management from reactive response toward anticipation. Designed for interoperability, the twin connects to existing platforms and data sources rather than replacing them.
Developed in the UAE
Both companies are based in Abu Dhabi, and the applications are intended to be developed in the UAE to meet local technical, security and data-residency requirements. The solutions are intended to be designed so that operational data on the country’s cities and infrastructure is governed locally and kept within the UAE. Data provided by customers is intended to remain their property, with any personal data handled in line with the UAE’s federal data protection law. Combining their AI analytics and operational expertise, the two companies intend to jointly develop and enhance AI models, which are intended to be trained, refined and deployed in the UAE. The collaboration also aims to support local expertise in digital twin and decision technology within the country.
Sebastian Shi, Co-founder of Origen, said: “Cities are among a nation’s most complex systems, and every decision taken about them affects the people who live and work there. Origen’s digital twin allows decision-makers to simulate those decisions before they are taken, and TACTICAᴬᴵ’s technology helps turn them into coordinated action. Developing this capability in the UAE helps build a sovereign foundation for how the country’s cities and critical infrastructure are run.”
Dr. Chaouki Kasmi, Co-founder of TACTICAᴬᴵ, said: “TACTICAᴬᴵ helps operators coordinate complex operations in real time. Combining our decision-intelligence and command-and-control technology with Origen’s digital twin capabilities gives operators a clearer view of how a situation may develop, helping them assess options and make better-informed decisions.”
Work is expected to begin with focused proof-of-concept exercises, progressing to validated applications and solutions for government and enterprise customers. Each company will contribute its complementary strengths, bringing Origen’s digital twin expertise together with TACTICAᴬᴵ’s decision-intelligence and command-and-control technology.
More broadly, the collaboration reflects a shift in the smart-city sector from monitoring toward simulation and prediction, as digital twins and command-and-control systems converge. It aims to move smart cities beyond connected infrastructure toward evidence-based governance. For the UAE, it adds to national capability in AI-enabled decision technology, contributing to more resilient cities and a stronger domestic technology base.
