Live from Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), this week has witnessed international community engagement, networking, and collaboration at its finest as GITEX GLOBAL welcomed the entire technology ecosystem to the UAE for its record-extending 44th edition.
Since its inception over four decades ago, the world’s most brilliant minds, most innovative talents, and most pioneering companies have made GITEX GLOBAL their home – inspiring influential, geographical-transcending socio-economic development contributions amidst an evolving Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
With this, its profile and popularity have scaled new and exponential heights, so much so that for some time now, GITEX GLOBAL has reigned supreme as the world’s largest and best-rated tech event.
But with unprecedented digital transformation has come a non-negotiable necessity to ensure future preparedness for the inevitable and unassailable winds of technological change.
For enterprises, industries, and nations alike, rallying up investments, updating digital roadmaps, and keeping abreast of the competitive landscape is paramount. Enter GITEX GLOBAL.
With technology evolving in ways few could have predicted just several years ago – whilst complex challenges multiply and advantageous opportunities simultaneously manifest – the event returned with a brand-new mandate this time round, one clearly illustrated through its 2024 theme: Global Collaboration to Forge a Future AI Economy.
As GITEX GLOBAL 2024 concludes with its legacy about to unfold, it’s well within the realms of possibility that this week’s edition will come to be remembered as a defining moment where the world’s AI economy was formed.
A new benchmark for future editions to emulate
Held at DWTC from 14-18 October, GITEX GLOBAL 2024 has been historic across every metric. A momentous week saw involvement from over 6,500 exhibitors, 1,800 startups, and 1,200 investors alongside governments from more than 180 countries worldwide – making it the biggest-ever international edition thus far.
From a conference standpoint alone, the most eagerly anticipated tech event of 2024 was a resounding success, receiving unanimous audience acclaim as five different themes headlined across its five-day duration.
Spanning tech investment, AI, cybersecurity, data centres, and emerging technologies redefining the boundaries of possibility, visitors lauded an enlightening series of keynote speeches, fireside chats, and specialist panels and presentations. Led by a distinguished cast of world-leading experts, these shone a unique spotlight on the urgent challenges, emerging threats, and innovative opportunities facing individuals, enterprises, industries, and nations worldwide.
One was on full display this week when an International Data Corporation (IDC) study revealed that Microsoft and its partners are set to generate $74 billion in new revenues for the UAE economy over the next four years. The study, titled ‘Microsoft Cloud Dividend Snapshot’ for the UAE, highlighted the critical role that Microsoft’s cloud services, along with its partner ecosystem, are playing in advancing the UAE’s digital economy, fostering innovation, and creating jobs.
But that’s not all. On a week when over 3,000 companies with AI innovations also piqued the curiosity and interest of attendees, a series of ambitious, eye-catching new partnerships were signed and sealed under the GITEX GLOBAL banner.
“Connecting participants and bringing together new communities, stakeholders, personalities, and influencers is the beauty of GITEX events – it’s in our DNA and what we stand for,” revealed Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of DWTC, the organiser of GITEX GLOBAL. “It’s through this DNA that the relations forged during our events flourish and the ecosystem thrives.”
With transformation comes trajectory
At the scene of the world’s largest public-private sector collaborative platform, many local, regional, and international participants have converged in the spirit of entrepreneurship – making new connections, actuating plans, launching new solutions, and forging new cross-continental alliances.
Amongst the many examples, the UAE’s global technology provider e& finalised a $1 billion agreement with US-based Amazon Web Services. The new alliance will combine AWS’s cloud infrastructure and solutions with e&’s network capabilities to address the most stringent customer requirements across the public sector and regulated industries in the Middle East, including healthcare, finance, and oil and gas in the Middle East.
Core42 (UAE), a G42 company, also announced a strategic partnership with AMD (US) to drive secure cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) deployment in the UAE and beyond. This collaboration will focus on trialling AI and machine learning technologies while exploring confidential computing for both public and private cloud infrastructures.
“Cross-continental collaboration is the name of the game for any tech company aspiring to thrive in the new AI digital economy.” LohMirmand said. “It’s what drives our impetus each year because the tech industry is moving so fast – it’s all about momentum.”
Elsewhere at GITEX GLOBAL, another trans-Atlantic partnership was forged between Deloitte (UK) and Palo Alto Networks (US) as the two committed put pen to paper on a strategic collaboration to accelerate the adoption of leading cybersecurity capabilities. Vodafone IoT, part of British multinational telecom company Vodafone, also unveiled its collaboration with e& to supply automotive IoT connectivity to Mercedez-Benz AG in the UAE.
“AI and deep tech have smashed the boundaries of tech and it’s the beginning of a new era for all of us,” added LohMirmond. “This why every year, we ask the international tech community to come with us on a wonderful five-day journey of discovery.
“We invite the entire world to discover the competition, benchmark, identify opportunities, and make new connections in an ecosystem full of great organisations, opportunities, and strategic partnerships.”
GITEX GLOBAL is seamlessly connecting the world’s largest network of tech events with a stellar list, including GITEX EUROPE Berlin, GITEX ASIA Singapore, GITEX AFRICA Morocco, and GITEX NIGERIA. In 2024, these will foster global collaboration and cross-continental innovation to shape the tech landscape of tomorrow.
