Aerodyne to open HQ on Expo site ; Aramco, KAUST low carbon R&D centre
Good morning!
Here’s your roundup of this week’s AI and emerging tech stories!
Lots of news from around the region today, including Aramco's new low carbon R&D centre at KAUST; Aerodyne Group's plans to open a second international headquarters in Malaysia's former Expo 2020 pavilion; and a new urban mobility exhibit at Dubai's Museum of the Future.
Meanwhile, IDC revealed at GBM's recent event that 37% of organizations in the UAE plan to significantly increase their AI spending over the next 12-18 months; and MEED ranks Saudi Arabia and the UAE as joint leaders in its new Digital Transformation Index.
Stay safe and have a great day!
/Carrington
R&D
Saudi Aramco opens new low carbon research centre at KAUST
#Saudi #netzero - Saudi Aramco has opened The Aramco Research Center, a low carbon solutions research centre at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which will accelerate the development of low-carbon solutions for the energy industry using advanced analytics. (Zawya)
Urban Mobility
Museum of the Future partners with RTA to showcase new methods of travel
#UAE #mobility - The Museum Of The Future and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have announced a new partnership to showcase future mobility solutions. The museum will display electric and autonomous vehicle prototypes and new ideas for green, sustainable, and environmentally friendly mass transport services. (The National)
Robotics
14 teams enter semifinals of MBZIRC Maritime Grand Challenge
#UAE #robotics - Aspire, the business development and program management pillar of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) has announced 14 semifinalists of the and the organiser of Mohammed Bin Zayed International Robotics Competition (MBZIRC) Maritime Grand Challenge, (Gulf News)
Egyptian student ranks third in World Robot Competition 2022
#Egypt #robotics - Jihad Ahmed Mahmoud, an Egyptian student at the Faculty of Computing and Artificial Intelligence in Hurghada, ranked third in the world in the RoboCup Asia Pacific 2022 Robotics Competition. Jihad ranked after entrants from Singapore and China. (SEE News)
Eight UAE teams to compete at World Robot Olympiad finals in Germany
#UAE #WRO - Eight teams from the UAE will compete at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) finals in Germany this November after seeing off competition from more than 500 teams during the UAE National Qualifiers organised by Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK). (Emirates News Agency)
IoT
IEEE announces the launch of Arab IoT & AI Challenge in 11 Arab countries
#MENA #IoT - Now in its sixth year, this year's Arab IoT & AI Challenge has been announced by the IEEE, in cooperation with IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society (TEMS) and Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship Company. (Zawya)
Industry 4.0
Honeywell and Anchorage Investments sign MoU for Egypt petrochemical complex
#Egypt #industry4 - Honeywell and Anchorage Investments Ltd. sign an MoU that paves the way for Honeywell’s latest industrial autonomous technologies to be installed at the state-of-the-art Anchor Benitoite Petrochemicals Complex to be built in Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone. (Construction Week)
Finance
KCB AI-powered loan and grant services benefit 3,333 Kuwaitis
#Kuwait #AIbanking - 3,333 citizens have availed of loans or grants using the Kuwait Credit Bank's AI-powered services, according to the bank. The services allow citizens to request services without visiting a bank branch, or submitting documents normally required from various state authorities. (The Times Kuwait)
Education
IBM, Saudi's King Saud University sign MoU to advance skills development
#Saudi #AIskills - King Saud University (KSU), the first public university in the Saudi Arabia has announced its collaboration with IBM aimed at advancing skills development through AI across the kingdom. (Gulf Business)
Saudi Space Commission, Huawei launch Saudi Arabia’s first tech experience center
#Saudi #space - The Saudi Space Commission and tech giant Huawei have launched Future Space, the Kingdom’s first-ever technology experience center. The centre will feature advanced technologies such as 3D printing, autonomous driving, and brainwave robot control, among many others. (Al Arabiya)
UAE’s push for creativity: Meet students making a mark with AI-powered healthcare innovations
#UAE #innovation - The conducive academic atmosphere of the UAE has helped inspire numerous students to push the boundaries of creativity and think out of the box. GEMS Founders School students have developed a unique, cost-effective oxygen delivery system. (Gulf News)
Digital Transformation
MEED Digital Transformation Index
#Saudi #UAE #DX - Saudi Arabia and the UAE sit neck and neck in MEED Digital Transformation Index. The Index takes into account network readiness, cybersecurity, digital economy frameworks and favourable rankings by global indices. See chart. (MEED - subscribers only)
Over 50 government institutions part of Digital Transformation Programme
#Oman #DX - More than 50 government institutions have been targeted in the Digital Transformation Programme 2021-2025, according to the 2021 annual report of Oman Vision 2040. (Times of Oman)
UAE organisations plan to increase their AI spending over next 12-18 months
#UAE #DX - 37% of organizations surveyed in the UAE plan to significantly increase their AI spending over the next 12-18 months, according to a recent IDC survey. (Techx)
Smart Cities
Egypt will build 15 new fourth-gen cities in coming years – Prime Minister
#Egypt #smartcities - Egypt plans to build 15 new fourth-generation cities in the coming years to house the country’s growing population, provide residents with high-quality amenities and services, create investment and job opportunities and reduce pressure on existing cities. (Zawya)
SenseTime signs Smart City MOU with King Abdullah Financial District
#Saudi #smartcities - SenseTime has signed an MoU with King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), a special economic zone in Riyadh to develop smart city platforms to provide advanced services to businesses and those living in the district. (SenseTime)
Full transition of Ministries, employees to Egypt’s New Administrative capital by end of 2022
#Egypt #NewCapital - The full transition of Ministries and employees to Egypt’s New Administrative Capital will be by the end of 2022 according to the Capital’s spokesperson Khaled Al-Husseini. (Egypt Today)
Siemens, Al Attal and Sigma to build Egypt’s first AI compound in the New Capital
#Egypt #smartcities - Siemens Egypt, Al-Attal Holding and Sigma signed an agreement to build Egypt’s first residential complex operating on AI and IOT, which is metaverse-friendly. The compound will use and AI-enabled BMS control system. (Waya Media)
Healthcare
Dr. Mona Khashwani becomes UAE’s first Emirati physician to perform robotic surgery
#UAE #roboticsurgery - Dr. Mona Abdulaziz Khashwani from Sharjah’s Al Qassimi Women and Children’s Hospital in the UAE has become the country’s first Emirati physician to perform robotic surgery. (Al Arabiya)
Drones
Aerodyne Group to make Malaysia's Expo 2020 pavilion its second international headquarters
#UAE #Expo2020 - The Malaysia Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai is to be renamed renamed Malaysia's Technology and Innovation Hub. Malaysian headquartered Aerodyne Group has already announced that it will locate its second international headquarters in the hub. (The National)
KAUST launches partnership with Ocean Aero
#Saudi #USVs - KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) has formed a partnership with Ocean Aero Inc, a manufacturer and service provider of ocean-going Autonomous Underwater and Surface Vehicles (AUSVs). (Arab News)
How this homegrown UAE shipyard is re-imagining drone technology
#UAE #drones - Dubai-headquartered Enata Marine's production facility has become a hub for uncrewed planes, jets, and multirotor drone technology in the UAE. (Fast Company ME)
QU develops AI and drone-based crowd management system for FIFA World Cup™
#Qatar #WorldCup - In collaboration with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Qatar University (QU) College of Engineering has developed intelligent crowd management and control systems, including multiple components for crowd counting, face recognition, and abnormal event detection (AED). (I Love Qatar)
Defence
Unmanned systems and AI could help bridge the manpower gap in Arabian Gulf navies
#UAE ##GCC #UVs - Unmanned systems and AI could help bridge the manpower gap in GCC navies and provide new opportunities for the United States and its partners to maintain maritime security. (AGSIW)
First published via Revue.