Deepika ChauhanGitex Global and Ai Everything, the world’s most influential technology sourcing and networking event of 2021, is returning for its 41st edition at Dubai World Trade Centre- DWTC as the United Arab Emirates prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Gitex Global x Ai Everything will be the world’s most complete, experiential technology event and will unite international innovators in artificial intelligence, 5G, cloud, big data, cybersecurity, Blockchain, quantum computing, Fintech and immersive marketing.
These themes will be explored across six events – Gitex Global, Ai Everything, Gitex Future Stars, the Future Blockchain Summit, Fintech Surge and Marketing Mania – which will collectively create an unrivalled global tech spectacle.
New initiatives supporting young entrepreneurs, women in tech and tech developers will make their debut at the event, as Gitex Global x Ai Everything bids to support innovators from across the world.
Gitex Future Stars, one of the world’s largest tech startup events of 2021, will host over 700 startups from more than 60 countries along with a network of more than 400 international investors and VCs, and will put an increased spotlight on the transformational potential of Fintech and Blockchain.
Gitex Global x Ai Everything follows the announcement of the UAE’s Projects of the 50, which will deliver new national initiatives that will enhance innovation, digital economies and Fourth Industrial Revolution applications, and will celebrate the region’s digital transformation achievements in a landmark year for the country.
Marking the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, Gitex Global x Ai Everything will spotlight the technology visions, initiatives and collaborations of government leaders across the Middle East and Africa regions through a marquee platform. The inaugural Gitex Global Leaders’ Vision conference will feature a ministerial-level dialogue on technological accomplishments, collaborations and initiatives that will redefine the region, and will spark influential dialogue on the emergence of innovative economies across the GCC and Africa, with each day of Gitex Global dedicated to a specific national or regional technological roadmap.
As the first point of entry to the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia regions for global companies, Gitex Global x Ai Everything will give global game-changers a platform to shape the future, with over 4,000 exhibitors – 35% of whom will be coming to the region for the first time – over 140 participating countries and over 200 government ministries in attendance, representing a range of global digital cities.
A comprehensive range of digital leaders will participate in regional events for the first time exclusively through Gitex Global x Ai Everything, including Terminus, the AIoT firm redefining smart cities; Stripe, the world’s top Fintech unicorn; Zoom, the video conferencing platform that enabled remote work during the pandemic; Snowflake, the pioneering unicorn who reinvented cloud data solutions; and TeamViewer, whose software is installed on more than two billion devices.
Gitex Global x Ai Everything will be the only major tech event in the world in 2021 to feature every major technology player, trend and vertical, hosting technology leaders including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Huawei, Dell Technologies, Ericsson, Intel, Avaya, Honeywell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Red Hat, Etisalat, du, Lenovo and Cisco, covering sectors including smart cities, cybersecurity, the data economy, mobility, healthcare and telecoms among others.
At the intersection of three of the world’s fastest rising regions for startup ecosystems – the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia – Gitex Future Stars will gather the most promising global innovators to ignite positive technological change.
GFS will host international pavilions from countries including Japan, South Korea, Nigeria, Brazil, Poland, Bahrain, Oman, India, Portugal, Hungary, Israel, Sweden, Serbia, Ukraine and Pakistan, as well as the largest ever show presence from France and Italy, who will be bringing over 50 startups to the show, while GFS will also host a cluster of startups hosted by The World Bank.
Gitex Global x Ai Everything visitors will hear from over 450 leaders live on stage at its international conference lineup, with over 350 hours of thought-provoking discussion.
Attendees will hear from global tech experts, including Dr Daniela Rus, Director of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Yuan Qi, Chief AI scientist and Chief Data Officer; Head of Financial Intelligence DAMO Academy, Ant Group; Dr Seth Dobrin, Global Chief AI Officer, IBM; Dr Simon See, Global Head, AI Technology Centre, Nvidia; Shameer Khader, Senior Director, AI, AstraZeneca; Ott Velsberg, Government Chief Data Officer, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Estonia; HE Maxim Parshin, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, Russian Federation; George Hotz, Founder and CEO, Comma ai; Ernesto Ciorra, Chief Innovability Officer, Enel Group; HE Dr Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security, UAE Government; Oleksandr Bornyakov, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation, Republic of Ukraine and Andrew Garrihy, Global CMO, DiDi Chuxing.
Reinforcing the region’s building blocks of creating homegrown technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, the first-ever Gitex YouthX youth engagement programme will contribute to the cultivation of young tech talent with a creative programme aimed at bringing them closer to the practitioner ecosystem.
The programme offers four pillars to engage students from high school to post-graduate level, including its Unipreneur initiative, which will give startups from universities including King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and UAE University the opportunity to engage with leading international investors and government-level experts; the Youth X Bootcamp, a curated programme of workshops and inspirational sessions to inspire young minds; Teens in AI, the culmination of a multi-school hackathon offering school teams the chance to present to the global tech ecosystem; and Gitex High Flyer, the programme which will give 100 university students the chance to win internships with innovative companies including Avaya, GM, and Majid Al Futtaim.
Supporting the need for increased opportunities for female tech leaders, Gitex Global x Ai Everything will host the global finals of the TiE Women pitch competition, where female-led startups from more than 40 cities will pitch on stage for cash prizes, mentorship and investor networking opportunities.
“Gitex Global x Ai Everything, as the world’s largest technology event of 2021, is proud to host an array of innovative, global companies who are making their debut at the show and in the region. These companies have chosen Gitex Global x Ai Everything – and Dubai – to make their first foray into a vibrant market that has vast digital ambitions. Gitex Global is a super-connector that creates thousands of meetings and business opportunities for them, and our other exhibitors and visitors, playing a vital role in the international technology ecosystem. The UAE’s leadership understands the importance of a creative and sustainable digital economy, and the Projects of the 50 will empower future human capital development and a new cycle of economic, social and political growth,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Events Management, DWTC.
Fida Kibbi, Vice President and Head of Marketing and Communications Ericsson Middle East and Africa said, “Digital transformation is accelerating and Gitex Global x Ai Everything is an opportunity for visitors to witness the latest advanced technologies and their positive impact on our world. At Gitex Global x Ai Everything 2021, Ericsson is re-affirming the importance of innovative thinking and imagining the unlimited possibilities that technology can create. We are highlighting this by demonstrating the consumer and enterprise value proposition of 5G technology. As a conduit for technologies, 5G is a key enabler of the digital transformation and the platform of the many innovations that we will see in the near future.”
Jiawei Liu, CEO, Huawei UAE said, “Huawei has long been a strategic partner to Gitex Global x Ai Everything as the ideal regional and international platform to connect with our industry stakeholders, share best practices, and look at how we can meet the needs of a fully connected, intelligent world. This year’s exhibition is particularly meaningful as it runs during the period of Expo 2020 Dubai, and as the UAE itself celebrates its 50th Golden Jubilee. Under the theme of ‘Dive into Digital’, Huawei will showcase how Cloud, 5G, and other emerging technologies can transform all industries to be more efficient, versatile, and resilient. Aligned with Huawei’s green strategy, we will also announce various new products and solutions developed to support carbon-neutral environments. Moreover, we are excited to host another edition of our Huawei Arab Innovation Day, bringing together international thought leaders on the ICT innovations of tomorrow.”
