Digital drive can boost UAE GDP by $14 billion in 2020

dubai - SAP will exhibit its transformative technologies at Gitex Technology Week

Digital transformation can boost the UAE's GDP by nearly $14 billion by 2020, according to SAP and a recent Accenture report.

The Accenture report reveals that if the UAE government and businesses optimise digital skills, technologies and accelerators, then the UAE's GDP would increase by $13.8 billion by 2020.

At Gitex Technology Week, SAP will exhibit its transformative technologies under the theme of 'Run Simple, Run Live', showcasing dozens of SAP HANA demos across topics such as the optimised visitor experience, audience engagement and the SAP Digital Boardroom that can all be localised to future government initiatives and mega-events. SAP HANA is the company's in-memory platform.

At the Smart Dubai stand, SAP experts will also share details and case studies about innovative airport, government services and retail customer successes.

For example, the Barcelona Tourist Network allows visitors to plan their tourist itineraries and receive geo-location based offers from restaurants, shops and museums. Cirque du Soleil uses SAP mobile apps to have audience members vote on a show's plot, and Super Bowl 50 used augmented and virtual reality SAP apps to allow fans to play, track and share experiences, and analyse game-day statistics.

"The digital economy has the power to enhance our world: to enrich the urban experience and drive cost savings for government agencies, MNCs, SMEs, as well as start-ups - and promote economic competitiveness. For the UAE, as a global leader at the crossroads of innovation, this is critical," said Steve Tzikakis, senior vice-president and general manager for South Europe, Middle East, and Africa at SAP.

The SAP Digital Boardroom demo will also demonstrate how real-time technology can provide organisations with full visibility across their business and drive real-time decision making, while also serving as control rooms for future cities and mega-events, analysing myriad insights including details on crowd heat maps to traffic.

"Real-time technology is the foundation for innovations such as the visitor experience at mega-events, Future Cities across the UAE and citizen services in line with UAE Vision 2021, Dubai Plan 2021, World Expo 2020, and Abu Dhabi Vision 2030. Public and private sector UAE organisations have the ambition and lack of software legacy infrastructure to rapidly adopt the digital core to drive innovation, and support the UAE's rapidly-growing digital economy," said Tayfun Topkoc, managing director, SAP UAE.

- abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com