Gitex Global 2024 concluded on Friday, underscoring AI’s pivotal role as a transformative tool that will continue to reshape industries, and drive business and economic growth globally.
For the final time this week, 6,500 exhibitors, 1,800 startups, and 1,200 investors, alongside governments from more than 180 countries — marking the highest-ever international participation — gathered in Dubai, along with 200,000 visitors.
Read: Gitex Global 2024 navigates 5G frontier, unleashes power of AI for hyperconnected future
This 44th edition of Gitex Global, held under the theme of ‘Global Collaboration to Forge a Future AI Economy’, not only set new benchmarks for innovation and business opportunities but also reinforced the event’s critical role in shaping a technology landscape increasingly defined by AI adoption.
Over the five days, numerous memorandum of understanding agreements were announced, with these strategic deals set to accelerate the growth of the global AI market, projected to reach $1,339.1 billion by 2030, according to Markets and Markets.
With the inclusion of over 40 percent new nations – including South Africa, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, alongside Europe’s largest-ever presence – Gitex Global has paved the way to forge new cross-regional partnerships between leading and emerging tech nations that will accelerate the growth of the AI ecosystem even further.
Key industry impact
Top global players such as Oracle, Dell Technologies and Microsoft, amongst several others, made significant strides in showcasing their latest innovations in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, edge computing, and other technologies. The event catalyzed these industry giants to forge new partnerships, drive technological advancements, and contribute to the future of the global digital economy.
Nick Redshaw, senior vice president of Tech Cloud, Middle East and Africa, and UAE country leader at Oracle, highlighted the company’s commitment to supporting the UAE’s AI vision and how Gitex Global 2024 was pivotal for Oracle’s AI and cloud innovations. He said: “At Gitex, we celebrated 35 years of supporting the UAE’s growth ambitions with state-of-the-art local cloud infrastructure, latest cloud technologies, developing top talent, and expanding our local presence. Industry-leading AI and multi cloud innovation that is geared to solve complex business challenges in every industry, and help accelerate the UAE and wider Middle East’s AI economy was Oracle’s key focus.”
At the event, Oracle announced collaborations, with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment to accelerate Dubai’s housing strategy using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and with Mashreq Bank to support its global expansion.
Dell Technologies was another tech giant to have a presence at Gitex. Mohammed Amin, senior vice president, CEEMETA, Dell Technologies, said: “Over the last four decades, Gitex Global has been a catalyst for advancing technological innovation across the Middle East region. Dell Technologies has been a part of this growth for more than 30 years and being at Gitex allows us to connect with regional decision-makers and support them in navigating today’s rapidly changing business environment.”
Read: AI revolution in medicine, aviation, cybersecurity takes center stage
Meanwhile, Microsoft capitalized on Gitex Global to highlight its impactful initiatives to enhance the global digital economy. Naim Yazbeck, general manager of Microsoft UAE, stated: “We are proud to have shared the results of our latest Cloud Dividend Snapshot report for the UAE, which underscores the critical role our globally trusted cloud ecosystem plays in driving economic growth and job creation across the nation. Additionally, our announcement of the AI National Skilling Initiative, launched at the show in partnership with key government departments, demonstrates our commitment to empowering individuals and organizations with the skills needed to thrive in the new AI era.”
Change through dialogue
This edition of Gitex Global served as a strategic platform to address pressing challenges and opportunities of AI, focusing on its application across critical sectors that shape the global digital future.
The event featured the first-ever World Future Economy Digital Leaders Summit and the debut of Gitex Editions, spotlighting innovation, connecting top global unicorns, and fostering dialogue on AI regulation, economic strategies, and digital finance.
Cybersecurity emerged as a key topic, emphasizing the need to secure digital infrastructure amid evolving cyber threats. Future mobility took center stage, showcasing next-generation innovations like autonomous vehicles, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and AI advancements in the auto-tech industry.
AI’s role in the development of hyperscale, modular, and edge data centers was a significant focus, reflecting the burgeoning demand for scalable solutions and the region’s rise as a hub for AI-powered data infrastructure. Gitex Digi_Health 5.0 also gathered industry leaders to explore how AI is revolutionizing patient care and reshaping the future of healthcare, highlighting the technology’s transformative potential in delivering improved outcomes.
Other discussions revolved around 5G and intelligent connectivity, EdTech, digital cities, and energy transitions. Together, these conferences showcased critical dialogues shaping the future of digital transformation on a global scale, featuring insights from industry visionaries – such as Jong-Soo Choi, CTO of Samsung Medical Centre in South Korea; Stéphane Ouaki, head of department at the European Innovation Council (EIC); Dr. Mark Sagar, co-founder of Soul Machines from New Zealand; Heman Bekele, TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year; Valentyn S. Volkov, PhD, co-founder of XPANCEO, and renowned cybersecurity figure, Dr. Diane Janosek, who served legal, policy and executive roles at the National Security Agency, White House & the Pentagon. Additionally, Gitex Global brought together ethical hacker, Inti De Ceukelaire, and Brett Johnson.
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