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Oracle Plans Dubai Expansion And Cloud Infrastructure Upgrade
The company is working to meet surging worldwide demand and is set to expand its presence across the wider region.
Oracle is set to expand its presence in Dubai as part of a broader strategy to bolster its cloud infrastructure in the Middle East in the midst of the region’s ongoing digital transformation.
The forthcoming expansion of Oracle’s Dubai office aims to provide customers with the opportunity to explore the future of their businesses through cutting-edge AI and cloud technologies.
A pivotal aspect of the expansion entails the development of a state-of-the-art customer experience center within Oracle’s Dubai facility. This center will not only serve as a showcase for innovative AI and cloud technologies but also feature futuristic workspaces designed to enhance employee productivity.
Presently, Oracle operates three live cloud regions in the Middle East, distributed across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Jeddah. Additionally, they have plans to establish two more in Riyadh and Neom, Saudi Arabia’s emerging high-tech city, to meet escalating demand.
While no specific timeline was provided for the launch of these upcoming cloud regions, it is evident that cloud adoption in the Middle East is thriving. A tech-savvy younger generation and government efforts to shape the digital future of their economies have spurred global cloud providers, including Oracle, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, and Alibaba Cloud, to invest in the region.
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Although Oracle refrains from disclosing market share figures, recent industry data suggests Oracle has a 2% global market share, ranking eighth. Notably, Amazon Web Services leads with 32%, followed by Microsoft Azure with 22%, and Google Cloud with 11%.
As part of its commitment to fostering AI skills, Oracle has also partnered with the Dubai Business Women Council to launch the sAIdaty initiative, designed to empower women professionals and entrepreneurs. The year-long program aims to equip 500 council members with AI skills, contributing not only to their professional growth but also to the UAE’s digital economy objectives.
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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
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The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.