US AI firm Palantir announces joint venture in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- US software firm Palantir launched a joint venture with the Dubai government's investment arm on...
Business
Tech leaders unite to propel future-critical sectors at GITEX GLOBAL 2025
Dubai, UAE: With capabilities of AI advancing every year, its potential to address challenges once thought unsolvable is rapidly expanding,...
Business
Business
ADQ and US equity firm ECP to invest $25bn in data center energy projects
Dubai, UAE -- Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ has partnered with the American private equity firm Energy Capital Partners...
- Though the partnership’s primary focus will be the USA, a portion of the capital may also be allocated towards opportunities in selected other international markets.
- The combined initial capital contribution from the partners is expected to amount to $5 billion.
Geostrategy
Deepfakes can clone your voice in 5 seconds, tech firms mount defense
Las Vegas, United States -- Tech firms are fighting the scourge of deepfakes, those deceptively realistic voices or videos used...
- Hong Kong police recently revealed that a multinational firm employee was tricked into wiring $26m to crooks who staged a videoconference with AI avatars of his colleagues.
- A recent study by identification start-up iBoom found that a scant tenth of one percent of Americans and Britons were able to correctly tell when a picture or video was a deepfake.
Business
China’s Baidu releases new, free AI model to compete with DeepSeek
Baidu announced in a WeChat post that its latest X1 reasoning model -- which the company claims performs similarly to...
- Baidu also made the models free to use, more than two weeks ahead of schedule. Previously, users had to pay a monthly subscription to access the company's latest AI models.
- Technology companies in China have been scrambling to release improved AI platforms since start-up DeepSeek shocked its rivals with its open source and highly cost-efficient model
Interview
The future of logistics: Insights from DHL’s Amadou Diallo
The future of logistics is a convergence of technology, sustainability, and human ingenuity, which are transforming supply chains into more...
- in the MEA region, key hubs such as Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Casablanca, Salalah, Nairobi, Durban, and Tema serve as vital nodes for regional distribution.
- Additionally, hubs like Istanbul, Dubai, and Addis Ababa improve connectivity within this region, said Diallo.
Interview
Electric, hybrid and aerial to entirely transform city life: IIT Madras expert
Easier commutes with faster, quieter, and eco-friendly vehicles would reduce travel times significantly and reduce stress for urban residents, says...
- Large and hugely populous Asian countries like India have abundant sunlight, making solar power a natural fit for supporting EV adoption.
- The ePlane Company’s air taxis will revolutionize urban transport by offering faster and more efficient ways to move within cities.
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.
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
Interview
AI’s US$19.9tn contribution: Insights from Tealium on digital economy’s future
By 2030, every dollar spent on AI-powered solutions is expected to generate US$4.60 in economic value, according to global analyst...
- Scaling AI solutions across industries presents significant challenges, particularly around data quality and privacy, Coyne said.
- At Tealium, we take an active role in educating and empowering our customers to maximize AI’s potential while mitigating risks, he added.
Interview
GCC a key player in global freight and logistics industry, says Trukkin’s Dalmia
The region leverages a strategic major hub, advanced infrastructure, and economic diversification to fuel logistics demand, says Janardan Dalmia, Founder...
- The GCC Freight and Logistics market size is valued at US$76 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach US$110 billion by 2030.
- Governments in the GCC are also reducing bureaucracy, and spending money on improving the infrastructure, Dalmia said.
Interview
Building futuristic sustainable urban cities starts from the underground up
Underground innovation, digitization, and AI are vital for sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future cities, says Sam Wiffen, director and founder...
- By 2050, the population of the world’s cities is expected to double from the World Bank’s current estimate of 4.4 billion people.
- Modern citizens are increasingly dissatisfied with urban living characterized by overcrowding, noise pollution, environmental challenges, poor infrastructure, inadequate responses.
Most Read
Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
US AI firm Palantir announces joint venture in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- US software firm Palantir launched a joint venture with the Dubai government's investment arm on...
Business
Company News
Latest News
Games industry in search of new winning combo at Gamescom 2025
Paris, France -- The global games industry gathers for the vast Gamescom trade fair in Cologne this week, with hopes...
Business
Musk clashes with Altman after accusing App Store of favoring OpenAI
San Francisco, United States -- Elon Musk has accused Apple of unfairly favoring ChatGPT on its App Store and threatened...
Business
Passwords under threat as tech giants seek tougher security
Paris, France -Fingerprints, access keys and facial recognition are putting a new squeeze on passwords as the traditional computer security...
Science
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Business
Electric ‘air taxis’ could debut in Japan from 2027
Tokyo, Japan -- Airline ANA said Thursday that, together with a US start-up, it hopes to have electric "air taxis"...
- ANA and California-based Joby Aviation said they will establish a joint venture with a view to deploying more than 100 of the five-seater aircraft.
- The project primarily envisages trips between Narita and Haneda airports and Tokyo, although the routes can diversify in the future.
Geostrategy
Meta says working to thwart WhatsApp scammers
San Francisco, United States -- Meta on Tuesday said it shut nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts linked to scammers in...
- Meta on Tuesday said it shut nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts linked to scammers in the first half of this year.
- Meta on Tuesday began prompting WhatsApp users to be wary when added to unfamiliar chat groups by people they don't know.
Geostrategy
Humanoid robots embodiment of China’s AI ambitions
Shanghai, China -- Serving craft beer, playing mahjong, stacking shelves and boxing, the dozens of humanoid robots at Shanghai's World...
- The Chinese government has poured support into robotics, an area in which some experts think China might already have the upper hand over the United States.
- Tech giant Baidu on Saturday announced a new generation of technology for its "digital humans" -- AI agents modelled on real people.