MBZUAI to start 2021; UAE health ministry deploys self-driving vehicle
Good morning,
Here’s your roundup of this week's Middle East AI News!
New technology continues to be rolled out in the Gulf, including robots at Abu Dhabi Airport and an autonomous vehicle deployed by the UAE health ministry to distribute PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in Sharjah. Also, this week, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence pushes back it's start date to January 2021. Scroll down for more.
Have a great weekend!
/Carrington
Startup News
Dubai's Spartech Ventures backs Intrro — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #funding - Intrro, a UK-based digital employee referral platform, has raised AED 2 million ($544,499) in a pre-seed funding round to expand into international markets, including the US, the company said. The fundraising was led by 500 Startups, Dubai's Spartech Ventures and strategic angel investors including Saif Kidwai, co-founder of Digital Gurus. The machine learning start-up has been a member of Tecom Business Park's in5 incubator in Dubai since October last year. (The National)
G20
G20 ministers highlight role of digital technologies in enhancing coronavirus response — saudigazette.com.sa
#Saudi #G20 - An extraordinary virtual “G20 Digital Economy Ministers” meeting under the Saudi presidency was held last week to discuss the challenges posed by the coronvirus pandemic and to forge a global coordinated response harnessing digital technologies. (Saudi Gazette)
Energy
UAE’s ADNOC digital command centre generates over $1bn in business value — saudigazette.com.sa
#UAE #energy - Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) on Tuesday announced its digital command center, Panorama, has generated over $1 billion (AED 3.67 billion) in business value since its inception three years ago. The centre is a key part of ADNOC’s ongoing strategic investment in digitisation and artificial intelligence. (Saudi Gazette)
Education
Abu Dhabi's AI university pushes back start date to January 2021 — www.thenational.ae
#UAE #coronavirus - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the world's first dedicated AI university in Abu Dhabi has pushed back its start date for its inaugural class to January 2021. (The National)
King Abdullah congratulates Robotna Girls team on winning robotics prize in video call — www.jordantimes.com
#Jordan #robotics - His Majesty King Abdullah had a video call to congratulate the Robotna Girls team on winning the Best Creative Video Award at the international Share & Learn Virtual Open Invitational Competition held by a US organisation in late April. (Jordan Times)
Coronavirus
Health ministry uses self-driving vehicle to distribute PPE — www.khaleejtimes.com
#UAE #coronavirus - The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has announced it is deploying a self-driving vehicle to distribute personal protective equipment including masks, gloves and sanitizers to residents and workers of a residential complex in Sharjah. (Khaleej Times)
From cleaning to screening, robots join fight against COVID-19 at Abu Dhabi Airport — www.arabnews.com
#UAE #coronavirus - Robots are being rolled out at Abu Dhabi airport to disinfect public areas and screen passengers using infrared thermal technology. The robots will be piloted this month throughout Abu Dhabi International Airport, including in staff areas and cargo facilities. (Arab News)
Abu Dhabi Airports deploys UAE made robotic technology — gulfnews.com
#UAE #coronavirus - Abu Dhabi Airports has partnered with Tawazun Strategic Development Fund (TSDF) to launch the new CoDi BOT UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle), designed and manufactured by UAE-based company Marakeb Technologies, an affiliate company of TSDF, for the disinfection of viruses including Covid-19. (Gulf News)
Saudi Arabia launches “Tawakkalna” app to issue movement permits — saudigazette.com.sa
#Saudi #coronavirus - The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has announced the trial launch of the “Tawakkalna” application, which aims to manage the movement permits system government entities, and private sector enterprises, during the curfew time. (Saudi Gazette)
Morocco launches fleet of drones to tackle virus from the sky — www.arabnews.com
#Morocco #coronavirus - Morocco has rapidly expanded its fleet of drones as it battles the coronavirus pandemic, deploying them for aerial surveillance, public service announcements and sanitization. (Arab News)
Defence
Saudi Arabia Inks Drone Manufacturing Deal — quwa.org
#Saudi #drones - Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Military Industries (GAMI) will acquire 46 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from local defence vendor INTRA Defense Technologies. The UAV acquisition will start in Q1 2021 at a projected cost of $199.5 million US. (Quwa)
It's an AI Life
PLAY forays into the UAE market with the world's first AI-driven wireless headset — www.zawya.com
#India #UAE #electronics - Indian technology company PLAY has introduced the world’s first AI driven Noise Cancelling wireless headset (PLAYGO BH-70) into the UAE market. (Zawya)