Dubai: More than 4,000 exhibitors and 750 start-ups from over 175 countries are expected to take part in next week’s twin tech expos — Gitex Technology Week and Gitex Future Stars.
Taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from October 14-18, the 38th edition of Gitex Technology Week will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies such as 5G, robotics, virtual and augmented reality — all under the tagline ‘Experience Future Urbanism’.
growth in start-up participation in Gitex Future Stars
Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice-president for events management at Dubai World Trade Centre, which organises the event, said that more than 100,000 tech experts are converging in Dubai to learn and see the latest technologies.
She added that technologies, no matter how revolutionary they may be, offer no value unless they can create experiences to augment the well-being of individuals and society as a whole.
“We are proud that enterprises, start-ups and government entities come together, striving to transform intricate tech talk into meaningful manifestations of happiness that are relatable, accessible and in reach of a truly inquisitive and intelligent audience,” she said.
Moreover, she said that the Gitex Future Stars has seen a growth of more than 80 per cent in start-up participation this year.
Walid Gomaa, vice-president for data centre and cloud solutions at Huawei Enterprise Business Group Middle East, said that AI technologies will be a game-changer for people and organisations in the Middle East.
“The world is overwhelmed by the adoption of many AI applications,” he said. “AI will open new avenues for economic growth, unlock new opportunities, and underpin the next leap forward into an intelligent world, where businesses, people, vehicles, homes and devices are fully connected.”
German enterprise software company SAP will use Gitex for its Middle East debut of one of the world’s smartest concept cars.
Gergi Abboud, senior vice-president and managing director at SAP Middle East South, said that Dubai, the UAE, and the Middle East have the vision and appetite to become the world’s smartest regions.
“SAP will exchange global best practices in smart cities development to unlock unprecedented economic value and transform society and the environment. Building on our live cloud data centres in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, we will also showcase how Intelligent Enterprises can leverage Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, and the Internet of Things to drive new levels of competitiveness and digital citizen and customer experiences,” he said.
Fabio Fontana, vice-president and managing director for the Middle East at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said that this is a world where everything computes and creates massive amounts of data, while memory-driven computing and AI enable customers to capture and process their data and turn it into insight, action and value.
“We believe the future will be a world that will be cloud-enabled, edge-centric and data-driven. The data is growing exponentially,” he said. “We are going to show real use cases of AI, blockchain and health care, and how it can make a difference in society. Innovation is not a one-man show and it is a team sport.”
Adnan Al Rais, project manager for Mars 2117 at Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, said: “We have been on a transformative journey and we are delighted to support young space entrepreneurs that will be the success stories of tomorrow.”
“We are here at Gitex to engage industries in our activities and also build a new ecosystem, not only governments but also industries, start-ups, entrepreneurs and academia,” he said.
Alexis Lecanuet, regional managing director for Accenture in the Middle East and Turkey, said that digital disruption is accelerating everywhere.
“Innovation in this region was set on a very high vision by the government. With the constant evolution we are facing in the digital world, now more than ever companies need to understand how they can best leverage innovative technologies to support their teams and organisations,” he said.
