The 37th edition of GITEX, which has grown into a must attend five-day technology week, is seeing participation from 4100 companies, representing over 70 countries. The forum that has become the ground for showcasing and discussing future-ready tech did not disappoint this year either.
The first day of the forum saw Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, not only inaugurating the forum itself but also kicking off several new initiatives from the Emirate.
He launched a smart decision-making platform at Smart Dubai’s stand. The new platform relies on Dubai Pulse, which hosts all of the emirate’s data and form the backbone of its shift towards smart development. Visitors can visualize the data through an ‘immersive room’ that offers a glimpse into the future of Dubai.
Titled ‘Future, Live’, the room allows visitors to visualize live, citywide data, making Dubai the first city in the world to share its real-time live data with the public, along with projections of the progress that is in the pipeline for the coming decade.
The Crown Prince of Dubai also visited Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)’s stand at GITEX 2017. Accompanied by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports, and several senior officials from the public and private sectors, he inaugurated DEWA’s blockchain initiative for green charger. The blockchain initiative supports Dubai Blockchain Strategy, which is the first of its kind in the world, and aims to achieve a significant advance in supporting the technological and digital transformation in Dubai.
In addition to government led initiatives, Sheikh Hamdan also visited several company initiatives. He visited the du stand where he was received by du’s Chief Commercial Officer, Fahad Al Hassawi, and Chief Operating Officer, Farid Faraidooni.
Under the theme of ’10 times more’, du is showcasing how it is going beyond connectivity to mirror the Dubai 10X initiative. Digital content is the future and the UAE telecom operator du, is introducing GITEX 2017 visitors to a whole new television technology, the 4K experience, in line with its ‘10 Times More’ theme. With a substantial increase in pixels, 4K has a richer, crisper, and more realistic image. du’s showcase of 4K technology demonstrates the future of television and how viewers are able to see every detail when seated very close to the screen.
He also visited the Panasonic booth where the company Panasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa (PMMAF) is showcasing a full line-up of solutions. “Middle East is one of the major drivers for global economy. This GITEX, Panasonic is highlighting its latest range of innovative products that offer high performance and feature unrivalled quality standards that meet the future requirements of businesses. Our incredible stadium mapping and dome mapping solutions will definitely captivate audience’s imagination and will demonstrate our market leadership in the Middle East & Africa region,” commented Hiroki Soejima – Managing Director, PMMAF.
