Gitex Technology Week: The future is here, now

Dubai - The show, lining up than 4,100 companies from 70 countries, has on display a range of technologies that marvelled visitors

Fascinating glimpses of the infinite possibilities of an internet-powered Fourth Industrial Revolution were the order of the day at the opening of Gitex Technology Week at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Sunday.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, opened the 37th edition of the Gitex Technology Week - the most spectacular ICT exhibition in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia - showcasing a whole spectrum of game changing innovations that are set to transform the world, like never before, in the coming few years.
The show, lining up than 4,100 companies from 70 countries, has on display a range of technologies that marvelled visitors. These include 5G technologies, autonomous cars, blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, digital payments, machine learning, natural language processing, software bots, and the Internet of Things.
The co-located startup showcase, Gitex Future Stars, captured the imagination of hundreds of visitors by displaying the latest in emerging technologies from 700 startups from 70 countries who engaged with investors, fellow entrepreneurs and technology leaders. Day one of the Supernova Challenge kicked off with over 26 startups pitching in the semifinals.

A key highlight on the opening day was the announcement by Etisalat about its fastest 5G live trial reaching 71Gbps, setting a global record in the industry.
"5G technologies and network will deliver capacity and connectivity along with opportunities for economic growth, education, healthcare, transportation and more," Saeed Al Zarouni, senior vice-president, Mobile Network, etisalat, said.
The Technology Week's Vertical Days Conferences is featuring over 126 speakers, 230 sessions with experts from across health, retail, smart cities, finance, transport & logistics, education and digital marketing.
Dr Werner Vogels, chief technology officer of Amazon.com, speaking on how an experimental mindset helps drive continuous innovation on a worldwide scale, highlighted how digital acceleration can create new opportunities and extolled entrepreneurs to work on things that truly differentiate their businesses
Dr Vogels said in his keynote address that the most disruptive businesses in the Middle East are powered on cloud. He expressed his excitement to announce that the company is building a presence in the Middle East, which will allow it to harness the power of technology to create a rich featured infrastructure platform for startups and big businesses in the region.
Scores of first-movers, game-changers and dream-makers from around the world have converged on the exhibition venue to share their rule disrupting visions of a technology-enabled future.
Dubai Land Department's stand became a popular destination among technology lovers, following the launch of a spate of recent initiatives that will revolutionise the delivery of government transactions.
Mike Sutcliff, group chief executive of Accenture Digital, at his keynote address highlighted the role technology will play across the private and government sectors.
"Artificial Intelligence has evolved to a stage where it can offer simple solutions to sophisticated problems. Today, AI is being used in myriad ways across diverse industries like automotive, manufacturing and even retail-a development that was unfathomable a few years ago. We expect AI to take an increasingly central role in many," said Sutcliff.
TCL Communication unveiled its newest BlackBerry smartphone with the launch of BlackBerry Motion, an all-touch smartphone designed to empower the most challenging, on-the-go lifestyle.
Huawei held the Middle East edition of its global event, the 2nd Annual Middle East Innovation Day in Sheikh Maktoum Hall. Themed "Exploration, Lights the Way Forward", it hosted a high-profile panel of international and regional government and industry representatives, focusing on the role of ICT in driving digital transformation and building sustainable knowledge-based economies in the region
Moderated by Christopher Schroeder, author of Startup Rising and a leading voice in the region's innovation ecosystem, the fireside chat on "Unicorn Breeding Ground-Fantasy or Reality?" saw discussion on the region's potential and pressures to create the next unicorn after Careem.  
Speaking at Gitex Future Stars, Yousef Caires, vice-president of Expo Live reiterated the organisation's commitment to social impact and social enterprises.
Presenting on, "Green is the New Black," Caires highlighted how the United Nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will act as a blueprint for the future of social innovation.
South Korea, a country with cutting edge technologies in consumer electronics, IT services market, software and hardware, is showcasing 49 companies at Technology Week 2017 at its pavilion at Sheikh Rashid Hall. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) said visitors can have firsthand experience on the newest and finest Korean products lineup at the pavilion.
HTC said Vive - a first-of- its-kind virtual reality company - is bringing room-scale virtual reality   closer to businesses across the region with a number of immersive productions. Throughout the week, HTC Vive will be placing visitors right into a 3D VR environment.
Key highlights of Panasonic's showcase included - Stadium Mapping Solution, Dome Projection Mapping Solution, Transparent Screen, 360 o Live Camera, latest Compact Cinema Camera EVA 1 and the Interactive Solution.
"Our incredible stadium mapping and dome mapping solutions will definitely captivate audience's imagination," said Hiroki Soejima, managing director, Panasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa.
- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com