News

GITEX GLOBAL 2024 Hosts MENA’s Largest Data Center Forum

The conference highlighted innovations in AI-driven infrastructure, job creation, and sustainable practices.

Published

2 years ago

October 18, 2024

gitex global 2024 hosts mena's largest data center forum

GITEX GLOBAL 2024, recognized as the world’s premier tech and startup gathering, hosted the largest data center event in the Middle East on Thursday at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). The event showcased the region’s ambition to solidify its leadership in the rapidly growing global data center industry.

The conference spotlighted the significant role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming data infrastructure. Leading enterprises offered attendees a glimpse into cutting-edge innovations, setting the stage for the future of hyperscale, modular, and edge data centers.

The “Data Centres Universe” segment of the event focused on how growth is being achieved within the sector. Key players such as Khazna, Legrand, Vertiv, Alibaba Cloud, AWS, DELL, Google Cloud, IBM, and Lenovo gathered to share insights on the industry’s trajectory. They explored strategies for accelerating growth and highlighted the role of expanding data centers in fostering AI-powered innovation.

During a panel discussion, Hassan Al Naqbi, CEO of Khazna Data Centers, emphasized that the development of data centers not only fuels market growth but also drives talent development and job creation. Al Naqbi dispelled the misconception that data centers are not job generators, stating: “Data centers are vital for economies and have different roles involved. If you look at all the hyperscales, their data centers are having a huge impact on the economy as people can secure jobs which are vital for the day-to-day operations”.

The conversation also shifted to the future, with industry experts stressing the importance of sustainability in their expansion as next-generation technologies and services continue to evolve.

Also Read: Dubai Police Launch New Smart Home Security System

Marc Marazzi, Vice President of Legrand Data Center Solutions, shared his thoughts on the need for thoughtful planning in the rapidly expanding sector. He stressed the importance of balancing growth with environmental responsibility, noting: “Today, [data centers] are bigger than ever before and being built faster, but we must not lose sight of the importance of how we manufacture, what we are installing, and how they are managed”.

The hugely successful GITEX GLOBAL 2024 concludes today with Futuristic Friday, showcasing breakthrough technologies including quantum computing, advanced robotics, and space tech.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.