On October 14, 2024, government officials, industry leaders, and experts converged in Dubai to inaugurate the World Future Economy Digital Leaders Summit. This summit is part of GITEX GLOBAL, the largest technology event in the world, which is taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). The focus of this year’s discussions is on steering AI Compute-Driven economic transformation.
During the “Tech Investment Day,” attendees explored the future of semi-conductors, projected to reach a market value of USD $1 trillion by 2030, along with discussions on data governance. This year’s GITEX GLOBAL operates under the theme, “Global Collaboration to Forge a Future AI Economy.”
The summit occurs at a pivotal moment for the UAE, which is actively advancing AI integration across various sectors. Last year, the AI market in the country was valued at USD $3.47 billion. H.E. Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, the UAE’s Minister of Economy, emphasized the significance of AI, stating that it is central to the nation’s economic future.
Addressing the gathering, he remarked, “AI is a major driver for the future and is already impacting our everyday lives whether it is transportation or ordering food, but to propel growth even further across different sectors, people and companies need to learn how to enable AI effectively.”
This year’s edition of GITEX GLOBAL has seen an unprecedented international presence, with a 40% increase in participation, welcoming new nations to the 44th iteration of this flagship event.
The European tech industry, in particular, has marked its largest representation in the history of the event, with projections indicating a 12% growth by the year’s end.
Stephane Ouaki, Head of Department at the European Innovation Council, highlighted the continent’s advancements in technology. He stated, “The Council is supporting game-changing innovations, giving entrepreneurs access to opportunities to enhance their knowledge and learn from other professionals to boost the growth of their businesses which benefits not only economies nationally but also regionally.”
Ignacy Niemczycki, Undersecretary of State at Poland’s Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, presented on Poland’s technological progress. He said: “Our culture is a key pillar in our journey of being a tech leader and we have a stable economy which has been very resilient for the last 30 years. More importantly, there is a real interest in the STEM field – if you ask most people in Poland, their choice would be to become a software engineer, and this has created a situation where we have one of the best IT programmers in the world with some great tech entrepreneurs already from Poland.”
Attendees also heard from Dr. Jaroslaw Kutylowski, founder and CEO of DeepL, a leading global language AI company from Germany. He shared insights on the utilization of large language models (LLMs), stating, “The models that we have been building have all stayed true to our products which has brought us success so far. As the company has been growing, we have been able to invest more into compute technologies and have built a data centre facility in Sweden. However, we need to keep innovating and see what the next step is. If we do not think ahead, we would be in the same position as we are today.”
Additionally, Heman Bekele, named TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year for developing a potential skin cancer treatment, shared his inspiring journey.
He expressed how the failures he faced while creating his innovative soap product strengthened his resolve, emphasizing that passion has been a key factor in his career success so far.
Running until October 18 at DWTC, GITEX GLOBAL represents its largest and most international edition in its 44-year history, featuring over 6,500 exhibitors, 1,800 startups, 1,200 investors, and government representatives from more than 180 countries.
GITEX GLOBAL is seamlessly connected to a global network of tech events, including GITEX EUROPE in Berlin, GITEX ASIA in Singapore, GITEX AFRICA in Morocco, and GITEX NIGERIA, all of which are fostering collaboration and driving innovation to shape the tech landscape of tomorrow.
For further details on GITEX GLOBAL 2024 and to secure your passes, please visit www.gitex.com.
