China’s foreign exchange reserves rise by $31bn to $3.44 trillion
Dubai, UAE -- China’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $3.4422 trillion at the end of May, their highest level in...
Economy
UAE GDP reaches $517 billion as economy grows 6.2 percent
Non-oil activities drove growth as construction, finance, real estate and transport sectors posted robust gains, underscoring diversification efforts and long-term...
Economy
Economy
Smart cities lead GCC’s IoT boom: NEOM and Smart Dubai in focus
IoT applications are transforming critical sectors such as transportation, where connected vehicles improve traffic management, utilities where smart grids enhance...
- For instance, to manage the flow of massive stadium crowds during the FIFA World Cup, Qatar leveraged “digital twins,” aggregating data from 40,000 IoT devices.
- In a similar vein, Dubai’s Enterprise Command and Control Center uses a combination of AI, digital camera, and thermal imaging technologies to oversee 11,000 surveillance cameras.
Economy
Building an anticipatory governance strategy for an increasingly risky world
Anticipatory governance is crucial in navigating today’s risks. While AI tools enhance forecasting, early warning does not always lead to...
- Global geopolitical shifts are reshaping alliances, creating an unstable multipolar order
- Climate change, AI, and conflicts are accelerating faster than expected, disrupting globalization
Economy
Building Smart Cities Starts with Listening to People
Successful smart cities address real challenges, like Mexico City’s digitalization of government services.
- Smart cities must prioritize people over technology to ensure long-term success and acceptance
- Ignoring community needs can lead to backlash and project failures, as seen in Toronto and Mexico
Interview
Tech and sustainability drive Singapore’s smart tourism vision
To realize its vision for “smart tourism”, Singapore Tourism Board is leveraging cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, data analytics, and...
- STB’s Tcube, a hybrid innovation space launched in 2021, has helped tourism businesses introduce tech solutions, including Al, into their operations.
- More than 1,100 tourism companies have benefited from Tcube programs. Its Singapore Tourism Accelerator has supported 47 start-ups to develop 58 industry solutions across 6 cohorts
Economy
The backbone of the digital economy is upskilling: Jayney Howson
AI won't replace jobs, but reskilling will unlock its true potential—lifelong learning is the key, Jayney Howson, SVP of Learning...
- We’re entering a new phase in the relationship between humans and technology, one that thrives on innovation and potential, Jayney Howson tells TRENDS
- We will see many new jobs and roles emerge, such as “Chief AI Officers” (CAIO), “Prompt Engineers” and “AI Ethicists,” he adds
Analysis
Logistics: At the heart of economic activity
The global logistics market is expected to be around US$10 trillion in 2024, and is estimated to reach US$21.91 trillion...
- The logistics market revenue in 2023 was US$485 billion by airways, US$2.85 trillion by waterways, US$2.09 trillion by railways and US$3.52 trillion by roadways.
- In the Arabian Gulf countries, the focus of the logistics and transport industry is moving from the UAE to Saudi Arabia.
Economy
Turkey central bank cuts rate to 42.5% as inflation eases
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey's central bank on Thursday lowered its key interest rate for a third consecutive time as inflation...
- This is the third time the central bank cut its rate since December as its efforts to tame inflation are paying off
- Consumer prices rose by 39.05 percent last month, down from 42.1 percent in January, according to the country's statistics institute
Interview
The future of luxury residential development needs to be green and smart
The GCC luxury market segment has experienced significant growth, driven by an increase in the number of high-net-worth individuals. Accommodating...
- In the GCC, there's also a real focus on community. Dubai is the United Nations of the world, wherein one residential building might have neighbors from different nations.
- We try to future-proof our building, technologically speaking, to allow people to evolve and go forward, says Belton.
Economy
UAE’s real GDP increases by 3.8% during first nine months of 2024
Dubai, UAE -- The UAE’s real GDP increased by 3.8 percent during the first nine months of 2024 compared to...
- This growth was driven by a strong expansion in non-oil sectors, which grew by 4.5 percent to AED 987 billion.
- The contribution of non-oil activities to real GDP reached 74.6 percent, highlighting the increasing role of these sectors in supporting economic growth.
Opinion
New-Age Growth Comes Home to the GCC
The region, fueled by ambition and massive investment, is rapidly advancing in technology and infrastructure, aiming to secure a leading...
- The GCC’s ongoing “giga” projects, economic diversification, focus on the digital economy, and emerging technologies all signal a promising future.
- With over US$2 trillion invested in capital-intensive projects, the GCC’s future looks increasingly secure, despite persistent negative portrayals in parts of the Western media.
China’s foreign exchange reserves rise by $31bn to $3.44 trillion
Dubai, UAE -- China’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $3.4422 trillion at the end of May, their highest level in...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Backed by its sovereign wealth fund, Saudi chases AI ambitions with homegrown firm pitched to global investors
The company, launched in May, is bankrolled by Saudi's powerful Public Investment Fund, which has played a key role in...
Economy
Steady and sensible, Oman builds its future brick by brick amid the Gulf’s glittering rush
With volatile geopolitics and the resulting uncertainty, the year 2025 has been challenging for most of the countries across the...
Economy
US Fed will likely cut again despite economic murkiness from shutdown
The central bank's second-to-last rate meeting of the year is taking place against the backdrop of a weeks-long standoff between...
Economy
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Science
Gartner lists 2026’s defining tech: Faster AI, safer clouds, and smarter security
AI supercomputing platforms integrate CPUs, GPUs, AI ASICs, neuromorphic and alternative computing paradigms, enabling organizations to orchestrate complex workloads while...
- AI supercomputing platforms integrate CPUs, GPUs, AI ASICs, neuromorphic and alternative computing paradigms, enabling organizations to orchestrate complex workloads
- By 2028, Gartner predicts that over 40% of leading enterprises will have adopted hybrid computing paradigm architectures into critical business workflows, up from the current 8%
Economy
China vows massive high-tech sector development in next decade
Beijing, China -- China will develop its high-tech sector on a massive scale in the next decade, top officials vowed...
- The country has poured support and investment into developing its science and technology sectors, part of ongoing efforts to present itself as a world leader in those areas.
- Domestically, China has been beset by sluggish spending, a protracted property sector crisis and a demographic crunch as its population starts to decline.
Science
Anthropic announces massive AI chip deal with Google
San Francisco, United States - Artificial intelligence giant Anthropic said Thursday it was expanding its use of Google cloud computing...
- The arrangement will include Anthropic buying as many as one million Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which are integrated circuits custom-designed by Google
- The expansion promises to let Anthropic bring more than a gigawatt of new computing power online by the end of 2026, enabling it to meet "exponentially growing demand."