Dubai will transform into the ultimate digital epicentre of the world next month, as the UAE hosts the world’s largest tech show, converging the most advanced companies and best minds to deep dive into the making of the Web 3.0 economy.
From 10-14 October 2022 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, GITEX Global returns, its largest ever edition featuring 5,000 companies spanning 26 halls and two million sq. ft of exhibition space, at an extraordinary 25 per cent year-on-year increase, pushing its capacity limit at the venue.
The GITEX 3.0 edition, in its 42nd year, presents the most empowering curation ever with seven multi-tech themes experimenting in the metaverse, a decentralised future of the internet, and a sustainable global digital economy.
The scale of GITEX Global 2022 reflects the digital ambitions of UAE and the region
The five-day event’s record size and continued expansion mirror the ambitions of the UAE and the region’s digital transformation movement, as government initiatives such as the National Program for Coders, the Dubai Metaverse Strategy, and Next GenFDI propels the UAE to the forefront of the global digital economy.
This is amplified by new GITEX Global 2022 launches of X-VERSE sponsored by TMRW Foundation in collaboration with Decentraland, one of the world’s most immersive metaverse journeys featuring 28 experiential brands; and Global DevSlam, the Middle East’s largest ever coder and developer meetup, both of which sold-out to a global audience within two months.
UAE companies also held the lion’s share of a record-breaking US$2.6 billion in start-up funding across the Middle East and North Africa in 2021, figures that underscore an additional hall and 30 per cent increase to 1,000 exhibitors at GITEX Global’s start-up event, North Star.
His Excellency Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy & Remote Work Applications, who delivered the welcome note at the official GITEX Global 2022 press conference today, said: “GITEX this year is bigger than ever. It spans two million sq. ft. with over 5,000 exhibitors from more than 90 countries, which makes this truly the biggest tech show in the world. This year, my office has partnered with GITEX to ensure that we’re not just showcasing technology, but actually inventing and developing technology.”
In his speech, H.E. also highlighted that the Global DevSlam event is poised to be one of the biggest developer events in the world. He concluded by thanking each and every single person that has believed in the UAE’s mission and who has supported the UAE.
Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of Events Management at Dubai World Trade Centre, GITEX Global’s organiser, added: “GITEX is not just a big gathering of people. It’s the super-connector humanising virtual and digital economies".
Global interest accelerates UAE and the region as a rising tech hub of the world
GITEX Global 2022 will welcome an unprecedented 52 per cent of new exhibitors this year choosing the show and the UAE as the first-choice partner in their market access strategies.
The influx of global interest will see North Star hosting the biggest Unicorn meetup of the year in Dubai, with 35 Unicorns from 15 countries looking to explore new opportunities and expand in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.
The ‘Africa Fast 100’ programme presents the largest ever gathering of African start-ups to be hosted outside Africa, as the African tech companies have been touted as the next ones to watch by global investors.
Debut international exhibitors such as Ooku, AMD, Tencent, and ByteDance, are seeking to extend their brand reach to a global audience through GITEX, along with FTX Exchange, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges with a five million-plus global customer base and an average daily trading volume of US$12 billion.
Influential UAE entities inspire R&D in transformative technologies
UAE companies are shaking up the global tech scene with their bold undertakings and commitments to tech R&D and inventions, including the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) a leading global scientific institution and the applied research pillar of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council.
TII will have a significant presence at GITEX Global showcasing AI and Digital Science, Directed Energy, and Autonomous Robotics Research. Dr Ray O. Johnson, CEO of Technology Innovation Institute, said: “We are delighted with our significant presence at GITEX Global, billed as the largest tech event in the world.
G42, a champion of AI and cloud technologies, will create a high-impact visitor experience showcasing powerful capabilities through its group of four companies. “There couldn’t be a better time to showcase G42 than at the 42nd edition of GITEX, the world’s largest tech and start-up event,” said Hasan Al Hosani, CEO of Bayanat, a G42 company.
e&, the region’s largest telecom operator is another prominent GITEX Global exhibitor. Earlier this year, the carrier was ranked as the world’s strongest telecom brand by Brand Finance, becoming the first in the MEA region to achieve this milestone. GITEX Global 2022 will be the first major exhibition for e& (previously Etisalat) since the launch of its new brand identity earlier this year.
Hatem Dowidar, the Group CEO of e&, said: “Given the e& transformation journey we embarked on earlier this year, the 2022 edition of GITEX Global is truly special for us, as it is the first major global technology event where we will showcase the strides we’re taking to progress into a global technology and investment group that creates technology to empower every person and organisation to stride into a great wide-open future."
World’s largest Public-Private Partnership creation platform
GITEX unifies the participation of 250 government entities leading strategic digital projects and public-private partnerships, with Digital Dubai Authority and Abu Dhabi Digital Authority among the UAE government bodies advancing smart city and digital projects.
H.E. Tariq Al Janahi, Acting CEO, Digital Dubai Authority, said: “Following the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, to digitalize life in the city, this year Digital Dubai’s participation at GITEX Global 2022, in partnership with 32 government and seven private sector partners, will showcase the latest digitalization solutions built by Dubai Government, also displaying future plans to build a holistic city-wide digital ecosystem ensuring Dubai becomes a global benchmark for building digital economies.”
H.E. Mansoor Al Marzooqi, Executive Director, Strategy & Innovation Sector, at Abu Dhabi Digital Authority, pointed out that the Abu Dhabi Government Pavilion at GITEX will be an advanced digital technology platform bringing together more than 30 government and academic entities, showcasing more than 100 innovative projects that highlight the Abu Dhabi government's key achievements in the field of digital transformation.
“GITEX Global 2022 is a global tech platform that gives the Abu Dhabi government the opportunity to showcase new digital initiatives in government services, digital government solutions, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital enablement, all of which have been carefully developed to further strengthen Abu Dhabi’s digital capabilities, enabling, supporting and delivering a digital government that is proactive, personalized, collaborative and secure,” said H.E Al Marzooqi.
GITEX is renowned for its prolific MoU engagements and critical enterprise partnerships between the public sector and private companies, with enduring business relationships having originated at the hyper-connector event over the last four decades.
Huawei, GITEX Global’s Diamond Sponsor and a world-leading innovator in next-generation networks are among the multinationals establishing long-lasting collaborations, and will this year showcase its newest end-to-end products and advanced ICT solutions focusing on AI, digital power, cloud, 5G, cybersecurity, and industrial application
Microsoft, the omnipresent tech giant, will also present its most elevated GITEX Global involvement yet, participating in all tech sectors including Global DevSlam and X-VERSE.
GITEX unveils world’s first public flight of eVTOL flying car X2
XPENG, a leading tech company and EV manufacturer that designs, develops, manufactures and markets intelligent mobility solutions, has chosen GITEX Global 2022 to host an exclusive world’s first public flight of its pioneering eVTOL flying car X2 with the support of an official partner, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.
The avant-garde two-seater eVTOL flying car X2 is equipped with an intelligent flight control system and autonomous flight capabilities and is the latest generation of flying cars developed independently by XPENG’s affiliate XPENG AEROHT.
Dr Brian Gu, Vice Chairman and President of XPENG, said the X2 produces zero carbon dioxide emissions during flight and is designed with low-altitude city capabilities in mind, reaching a maximum flight speed of 130kms per hour.
“We’re delighted to be holding the first global public flight of the XPENG X2 at GITEX Global 2022, showcasing our pioneering in-house R&D and proprietary manufacturing capabilities to push the e-mobility industry forward,” said Gu, who is speaking at GITEX Global’s mainstage conference programme about mapping the future of mobility. “We believe this advancement takes us one step closer to the future of short-distance city journeys taking advantage of this technology, including sightseeing and medical transportation.”
The GITEX 3.0 edition features seven tech themes: North Star Dubai start-ups, Ai Everything, Future Blockchain Summit in association with VARA, Fintech Surge, Marketing Mania and two sell-out new launches of Global DevSlam and X-VERSE.
“2022 is associated with many transformative trends like Metaverse and third generation web technologies that are unknown, amorphous and bourgeoning,” added LohMirmand. “These and other frontier techs can only finally impact our societies when there are large-scale expert discourses, collaborations and experimentations by protagonists and detractors. This is GITEX 3.0, where the decentralisation of the economy puts the power in the hands of every delegate in GITEX to participate in the shaping of our urban future.”
More information is available at www.gitex.com
