New Aramco-Cognite joint venture; Egypt builds its first industrial robot
Good morning,
Here’s this week’s Middle East AI News!
Lots of news again this week, including more robotics news than usual! News about customer service robots at DEWA, industrial robots being made in Egypt, Hilti's semi-autonomous drilling robot and a couple of robot distribution deals!
Meanwhile, Aramco's software development arm Saudi Aramco Development Company is forming a digital transformation joint venture with Norwegian global industrial AI Software-as-a-Service and IoT platform developer Cognite AS.
Scroll down for these stories and more.
Happy Christmas, if you're celebrating! Otherwise stay safe & have a great weekend!
/Carrington
Startup News
Aramco joins hands with global software company to boost industrial digitisation — saudigazette.com.sa
#Saudi #Norway #jointventure - The Saudi Aramco Development Company, a subsidiary of the world's sixth largest oil company, will form a joint venture with Norwegian global industrial AI Software-as-a-Service company Cognite AS. The new company will focus on digitalisation across industries in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. (Saudi Gazette)
R&D
Johnson & Johnson pharma venture and KAUST to develop outbreak simulations using AI — www.zawya.com
#Saudi #healthcare - Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharmaceutical has signed an MoU with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to develop outbreak simulation plans using AI. (Zawya)
Robotics
DEWA launches phase 3 of Rammas as part of its AI roadmap — mediaoffice.ae
#UAE #robots - Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) has launched the next phase of it's Rammas customer service robot programme using Softbank Robotics Pepper robots, expanding the range of services offered to customers. (Dubai Media Office)
Egypt builds first industrial robot at EJUST — egyptindependent.com
#Egypt #R&D - Mohamed Fanni, Professor of Robotics and Mechatronics at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (EJUST), has announced that a research team from EJUST has succeeded in manufacturing the first industrial robot with international specifications. (Egypt Independent)
ALEC and Hilti pilot Jaibot, a first-of-its-kind drilling robot in the UAE — www.cbnme.com
#UAE #construction - UAE construction group ALEC is collaborating with construction multinational Hilti to pilot Hilti's Jaibot, a first-of-its-kind semi-autonomous robot that increases drilling tasks’ efficiency. The companies began testing the robot in 2019 on a number of key projects. (CBNME)
Misa Robotics partners with Eros Group — www.tahawultech.com
#UAE #retail - Eros Retail becomes the exclusive online partner Misa Robotics social family robot. The robot currently functions in 10 languages, with plans to add Arabic and Hebrew languages in the first half of 2021, (Tahawultech)
IQ Robotics announces partnership with LiBiao Robotics — www.zawya.com
#China #UAE #logistics - Hangzhou-based developer of robotic warehouse solutions LiBiao Robotics has partnered with IQ Robotics to sell automation solutions into the Middle East's logistics sector. (Zawya)
Finance
Global Millennial Capital trains algorithm to assist with investment origination process — www.prnewswire.com
#UAE #investing - Global Millennial Capital, the emerging consumer tech specialist venture capital investor based in Dubai aims to re-think the traditional is automating its origination and investment process through the introduction of deep learning along with the use of probabilistic classifiers. (PR Newswire)
Education
MBZUAI hosts ‘AI for Leadership’ training course tailored for government sector — wam.ae
#UAE #skills - The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and Abu Dhabi School of Government (ADSG) held a four-day ‘AI for Leadership’ immersion training course tailored for government sector leaders. (Emirates News Agency)
UAE students develop apps that push creative boundaries — www.khaleejtimes.com
#UAE #apps - Two 13 year old students in the UAE have won an international award for proposing the development of an AI-powered app supporting the early detection of lung diseases, including Covid-19. (Khaleej Times)
Digital Transformation
CITC inks pacts with 3 IT giants to enhance digital transformation — saudigazette.com.sa
#Saudi #DX - The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has signed MoUs with Ericsson, Nokia, and Huawei to support and enhance CITC’s plans and goals to enable the Kingdom’s digital transformation. (Saudi Gazette)
Smart Farming
Disruptive tech in the poultry industry — www.analyticsinsight.net
#Egypt #poultry - AbuErdan develops solutions for poultry companies to manage the value chain more efficiently using AI, machine learning and data analytics, allowing them to increase production, reduce waste, and increase their profitability. (Analytics Insight)
Awards
Dubai Police's Innovation Lab wins Global Innovation Institute honour — www.khaleejtimes.com
#UAE #innovation - Dubai Police Force’s Innovation Lab has recently received accreditation from the Global Innovation Institute (GII). It is the first police force in the UAE to be awarded the AI and Natural Language (AINL) accreditation and was listed among 52 other accredited innovation labs around the world. (Khaleej Times)
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About Carrington Malin — www.carringtonmalin.com Carrington Malin helps large organisations, digital brands and fast growing tech ventures with brand, communications and go-to-market strategies.