At Gitex, Dubai projects itself into a major technology hub

For a week, Dubai dreams of being the world capital of technology, on the occasion of the Gitex (from October 17 to 21). Over its forty years of existence, this show has forged a strong reputation in the Middle East, Africa, southern Asia, and, in recent years, well beyond. The 2021 edition attracted a few global giants such as Microsoft, AWS, Huawei, Intel or Ericsson, but failed to convince others (Google, Facebook, Samsung) to make the trip.

“The show has long lacked notoriety in Europe and the United States”, recognizes Laureline Schwarz, one of the main people responsible for the event. However, with 4,000 exhibitors from 140 countries – 40% of which are new participants – and attendance of around 100,000 visitors before the Covid-19 epidemic, Gitex now claims to represent such an unmissable event in the world of technology. than CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas or IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung) in Berlin.

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Especially since “It is a market which is in the process of blooming with lots of business opportunities”, develop Mme Schwarz. In 2021, several themes were particularly targeted: artificial intelligence, connectivity, cybersecurity, “fintech” … But the show also has another vocation: to enable the government of Dubai – and more broadly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – to demonstrate its ability to place itself at the forefront of innovation and to become an influential player in the new economy. A whole part of the space devoted to the exhibition is devoted to what he accomplished in order to build the first digital capital in the world.

“A quality of life and a comfortable working environment”

State services will have completely given up on paper by the end of 2021, thanks to an application created for 70,000 agents to manage all their professional tasks. Likewise, citizens have a single tool to manage all their administrative procedures online. Another area of ​​concern: transport. By 2030, a quarter of them will have to be fully automated.

However, Dubai’s ambitions go further. The emirate intends to take its full part in the “Project of 50” – in reference to the fifty years of the UAE – which aims to switch the members of the federation into a future where technologies will be at the heart of the activity, in order to reduce dependence on oil revenues. On the program: the development of Industry 4.0 and an entire economy based on artificial intelligence and data.

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