GITEX Global: Tech giants showcase AI innovations and cloud solutions

Leading global tech brands for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data and Cloud see promising business outlook attributing credit to AI for driving innovation across industries, enhancing automation, personalisation, and decision-making.

Referring to latest reports, industry specialists said Big Data continues to grow exponentially, offering valuable insights for strategic planning and customer engagement. They are of the view that cloud computing underpins both AI and Big Data, enabling scalable infrastructure, cost efficiency, and global accessibility.

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“Together, these technologies are reshaping digital transformation, with enterprises investing heavily to stay competitive. As adoption accelerates, demand for skilled talent, robust cybersecurity, and ethical governance will rise, making this trio central to future business success.”

Senior executives of global IT brands such as IBM, Oracle, Huawei and Snowflake, shared their GITEX plans and pose full trust in the region’s premier tech show’s agenda, themes and summits and its impact on global IT business. 

Shukri Eid, VP and GM, IBM Gulf, Levant and Pakistan, said GITEX is a global stage, but more importantly, it is a platform for action.

“In fact, IBM’s participation at GITEX goes all the way back to 1981. It brings together the ecosystems that matter: policymakers, business leaders, and innovators who are driving AI forward. For IBM, it is an opportunity to share what we have proven inside our own business,” Eid told BTR.

“We have deployed AI internally in IBM, across hundreds of workflows across hundreds of workflows as ‘client zero’ and are on track to deliver $4.5 billion in productivity savings, and we are helping clients achieve similar outcomes with our enterprise data and AI platform, watsonx,” he said.

“What excites us about GITEX is not just the scale of the event, but the scale of ambition in the region. It is here that the next phase of AI-led growth is taking shape, and IBM is proud to work alongside the UAE to realise it’s vision of being among the world’s top AI-powered economies,” he added.

Abdulaziz Al Nuaimi Chief Security Officer of Huawei UAE, said Huawei has been part of GITEX for many years, and it remains one of the most influential platforms for us to engage with customers, partners, and industry peers.

“This year, GITEX GLOBAL is about demonstrating our vision of "All Intelligence" in action, we’re showcasing our latest AI-powered innovations and real-world industry cases, demonstrate how AI, Cloud and cybersecurity work together to help organizations become more efficient, resilient, and ready for the future,” Al Nuaimi told BTR.

He said AI is transforming both “the opportunities and challenges we face”. Threats are becoming more intelligent and targeted, while at the same time, AI provides powerful new ways to detect, predict, and respond. The key is building trust and resilience, ensuring that intelligence is secure, privacy is protected, and innovation can advance safely.

“At Huawei, we’re continuously strengthening our cybersecurity and privacy protection frameworks to keep pace with new challenges. We are embedding intelligence into our security capabilities, enabling faster detection, more precise response, and better overall visibility.

“Our AI-native cybersecurity platform, SecMaster, shows how AI can enhance visibility and improve threat management efficiency. Across cloud, network, edge, and devices, we deliver end-to-end protection to help enterprises build trusted digital environments. We also work closely with industry partners to promote openness, transparency, and global collaboration in cybersecurity standards and best practices,” he said.

At GITEX 2025, he said visitors will see how security forms the foundation of intelligent transformation. “From cloud resilience and network security with our Xinghe Intelligent Unified SASE Solution, to data protection with Huawei Data Storage, we’re enabling enterprises to operate securely and continuously. We invite all visitors to explore these solutions at our booth, and experience how Huawei is building a smarter, trusted digital future together,” he said.

AI-driven innovations

Miguel Vega, Senior Vice-President — Database Platform & Cloud Infrastructure, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, at Oracle, said Oracle is attending GITEX Global 2025 to showcase its industry-leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovations. The primary goal is to demonstrate how 'Enterprise Ready AI' — our theme for the show this year — solutions can accelerate the UAE’s digital economy and support the nation's vision to become a world leader in AI.

“We view GITEX as a major connection point for our business, bringing together customers, partners, and industry leaders who are driving the UAE's vision to become the world's most prepared country for AI. With large-scale AI implementation underway, the opportunities for organisations across the region to lead in AI adoption and innovation are unprecedented,” Vega told BTR.

Mohamed Zouari, General Manager for Middle East, Turkey & Africa at Snowflake, said GITEX is one of the few events that brings together policymakers, enterprises, developers, and startups in one place and showcases the very best tech innovation taking place in the region and globally.

“For Snowflake, it’s the ideal setting to show how data and AI can drive meaningful change across every layer of the economy. Through live demos, customer case studies, keynotes, and partner presentations at our booth, we aim to demystify enterprise AI and help organisations drive maximum value from their technology,” Zouari told BTR.

He said it’s especially beneficial to connect with decision-makers who are rethinking their approach to data, from government bodies planning smart cities to banks rebuilding their risk engines with AI. GITEX is a chance to listen just as much as we share, understanding what businesses really need to scale their data strategies, and where Snowflake can make the biggest impact. “The insights we gather here inform not just our regional roadmap, but our global innovation agenda.”

Mohammad Meraj Hoda, VP of Business Development – Emerging Markets, Ring, said privacy remains at the core of the company’s innovation. "As GITEX showcases technologies shaping tomorrow's homes, Ring continues to advance smart security solutions that bring meaningful value to families today.”

“Our range of connected devices, from video doorbells to indoor and outdoor cameras, empowers customers to monitor what matters most with confidence and control. Privacy remains at the core of our innovation — features like Privacy Zones, Audio Toggles, and end-to-end encryption ensure that convenience never comes at the expense of security."

Trends and Challenges

About the latest trends and challenges for Big Data and Analytics as well as AI and Cloud, Shukri Eid of IBM said too many are investing in AI that’s ready for playtime, not primetime. The real shift is away from one-size-fits-all hype models and toward fit-for-purpose AI; domain-tuned systems that are faster, cheaper, easier to govern, and built for business.

“Today, only 1% of enterprise data sits within large language models. That means 99% of the data that actually matters — proprietary, industry-specific, regulated — is still untapped. Unlocking that data, securely and responsibly, is where the real value lies,” he said.

Hybrid cloud is now the default — it lets enterprises balance sovereignty, compliance, and performance while keeping AI close to where data lives. Increasingly, organisations want embedded AI agents that don’t just predict but act — turning data into smarter decisions, and decisions into automation, he said.

“We’re seeing a decisive shift of AI from a phase of experimentation to full-scale production, but the challenge for many organisations is how can they deploy AI solutions reliably and at scale to see real business value? This is what we’re addressing with our ‘Enterprise Ready AI’ theme at GITEX Global, as we provide a clear path for customers to make that leap,” he said.

“As part of this trend, we're seeing a strong push to embed Generative and Agentic AI directly into daily workflows across every business function to boost creativity and efficiency."

IBM SHOWCASES WATSONX

“At GITEX, we are spotlighting watsonx — our enterprise-ready AI and data platform — alongside powerful tools like watsonx Orchestrate and our industry-specific AI assistants and agents. These are designed to help businesses automate workflows, make smarter decisions, and scale faster,” says Shukri Eid of IBM.

“You will see this in action through our Ferrari Formula 1 simulator. It uses watsonx.ai and our Granite models to generate real-time race summaries in Ferrari's tone of voice, while watsonx.data brings together massive amounts of historical and current F1 data to drive insights.

“For football fans, we are demonstrating a solution developed with Sevilla FC — an AI-powered Scout Advisor that uses watsonx to enhance player scouting with natural language prompts, semantic search, and curated shortlists. It is a great example of how AI augments human capabilities, even in sports. We are also showcasing our innovations in quantum computing with a model of IBM Quantum System Two — helping explain quantum's role in solving future-scale problems.”

Oracle theme: Enterprise-Ready AI

“Our theme this year, ‘Enterprise-Ready AI’, moves beyond the initial hype and experimentation phase of AI, as our customers search for a clear path to generating real, measurable business impact with this transformative tech shift, according to Miguel Vega of Oracle.

He said visitors to Oracle’s booth can experience the power of Oracle Generative AI through an interactive demo that creates lifelike, customisable video avatars in seconds. Guests can choose styles, personalise messages in multiple languages, and instantly generate avatars that can be downloaded and shared across social media platforms — showcasing the creativity, speed, and enterprise potential of Oracle’s Gen AI solutions.

Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud

“This year, we are shining a spotlight on how Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud helps organisations turn AI from basic adoption and experimentation into real, measurable, and impactful business value,” according to Mohamed Zouari of Snowflake.

“Last year, we highlighted generative AI and solutions like Native Apps, Cortex, and Snowflake Gen AI & LLM. This year, we’re taking things further, showing enterprise AI in action and how it can speed up decision-making across different industries, such as Snowflake Intelligence. “We are also placing greater emphasis on supporting the regional start-up ecosystem. As sponsors of the start-up pavilion at Expand North Star, we are proud to provide entrepreneurs with a platform to showcase their innovations, connect with potential partners, and gain insights into how enterprise-grade data and AI solutions can help them scale.”

Muzaffar Rizvi

muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com

Muzaffar Rizvi is an accomplished financial journalist with more than 25 years of experience in the UAE and Pakistan. He has good writing skills, strong grip on production and an excellent news sense.