GEC NEWS WIREOrange Business, the enterprise division of Orange, has signed a deal with the King Abdullah Financial District Development and Management Company to design, build and run a Smart City Platform that will integrate and connect existing digital technologies at Saudi Arabia’s prime business district, KAFD, while leveraging the power of AI and data analytics. Orange Business will also provide a range of Digital Master Systems Integration services and orchestrate its partner ecosystem by working alongside company experts on systems integration and new use cases.
The agreement was signed today at a ceremony hosted at KAFD in conjunction with a panel discussion titled ‘Secure, Smart, and Sustainable: The Future of Smart Cities,’ and which was attended by guests including tenants and media representatives.
Considered as one of the world’s most sustainable business districts, KAFD aims to create a high-quality urban environment and lifestyle for businesses, residents, and visitors in line with Saudi Vision 2030’s Quality of Life Program and its objectives of enhancing the livability and competitiveness of the Kingdom’s cities.
Under the new agreement, Orange Business will provide a range of services to KAFD, including the industry-leading Orange Smart City Platform. It is compatible with a wide range of systems and technologies and covers big data, data management, descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive data analytics, and governance. AI-related use cases will include geolocation-based sentiment analysis of social media, analyzing, collating, and sharing contextual data in areas ranging from water supply to traffic situation awareness, and energy optimization across commercial office buildings. By integrating a digital twin with the Smart City Platform, architects and engineers will be able to analyze real-time data to optimize building design.
Commenting on the agreement, Gautam Sashittal, CEO of King Abdullah Financial District Development and Management Company (KAFD DMC) said: “The increasing wave of urbanization across the world is set to uncover a US $517 billion market for smart city solutions with an annual growth rate of 25%, a fact that plays into KAFD’s objectives of building a future-proof and business-friendly hub in Riyadh. A major step in that direction, our partnership with Orange Business will further strengthen our drive to become a global pioneer in smart urban development.”
Sahem Azzam, Senior Vice President Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, Orange Business, said, “Orange Business is delighted to be a part of this flagship project and serve as a trusted digital partner. The commissioning of the Smart City Platform is a clear signal of our commitment to elevate the already world-class district to the next level of smart city evolution – what we call the cognitive city. This is driven by the collection of data and leveraging AI and data analytics to provide deeper user insights as a basis for new use cases, revenue streams, and innovative services for the city’s population. It will also optimize city operations – making them better, faster, and safer.”
Azzam added: “With our specialized teams on site to offer their unparalleled expertise from a regional cluster headquarters in the Kingdom, we believe our collaboration with KAFD will showcase innovative urban digital design and make a key contribution to the Saudi Vision 2030 economic diversification and transformation plan.”
Orange Business has been involved in large-scale, complex smart city projects in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East for more than 10 years. It is currently engaged in some of the region’s most significant and iconic developments spanning Egypt and the Arabian Gulf states, and through the SMART Africa initiative to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development across the continent.
