Dubai, a city known for its architectural marvels and forward-thinking initiatives, recently played host to the Oracle CloudWorld Tour 2024. This event, a flagship for Oracle, showcased the latest advancements in cloud innovations and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. The day-long affair was not just a showcase of technology but a testament to Dubai’s commitment to digital transformation and the role Oracle plays in shaping the city’s technological landscape.
The event kicked off with a keynote speech by Nick Redshaw, Senior Vice President – Tech Cloud, and UAE Country Leader, Oracle. In his keynote, Redshaw highlighted Oracle’s significant contributions to the UAE over 35 years and how customer success is at the heart of everything for Oracle. He celebrated achievements like launching two dedicated cloud regions, setting up innovation hubs, and collaborating with educational institutions. The addition of hyperscale AI capabilities to Oracle’s OCI dedicated region and the rapid growth of Oracle Health in supporting critical healthcare workstreams were also emphasised. Redshaw also underscored Oracle’s commitment to supporting vital sectors in the UAE and announced the launch of the ‘sAIdaty’ initiative to upskill 500 women professionals in AI. The keynote reflected Oracle’s dedication to advancing the UAE’s digital economy and global technological standing and he said, “Now, it’s time to aim higher, to set new benchmarks in the UAE for the world to follow.”
His Excellency Matar AlHemeiri, Chief Executive of Digital Dubai Government Establishment, and Mike Sicilia, Executive Vice President – Industries, Oracle also featured keynote addresses. Additionally, three fireside chats with key customers—Khalid Murshed (e&), Mohammed Sater (BAPCO Energies), and Khaled Al Amadi (M42)—provided valuable insights into real-world applications of Oracle technologies.
In his address, His Excellency Matar AlHemeiri provided a comprehensive overview of Dubai’s journey in digitisation, spanning over two decades. He elaborated on the strategic targets set including a $100 billion contribution to the economy by 2033, achieving 90 per cent digital wellbeing, and securing a spot among the top three cities globally for online services.
Oracle CloudWorld Tour: A global platform in Dubai
At the event, key partnerships were signed, which included the ones with the biggest two telco players in the UAE (du and e&). A partnership framework was signed at the event between Jasim Al Awadi, Chief ICT Officer (Acting) at du, and Nick Redshaw, reinforcing Oracle’s commitment to the UAE’s digital transformation. The collaboration launches sovereign hyper scale cloud service.
As part of a strategic move to enhance AI capabilities, Oracle expanded its collaboration with etisalat by e&. The plan involves deploying NVIDIA H100 GPU clusters within OCI Dedicated Region, hosted at etisalat by e& Data Centres. This move aims to localise and develop AI services, enhancing the standard of offerings across its product portfolio and business operations.
Khalid Murshed, Chief Technology and Information Officer (CTIO) at etisalat by e&, emphasised their commitment to continuous innovation and co-creating value with customers. The partnership with Oracle and the deployment of NVIDIA clusters will provide flexible, high-performance on-premises computing resources, enabling the rapid development and integration of new generative AI services into its portfolio over the next two years.
The Oracle CloudWorld Tour also saw the announcement of the general availability of the OCI Generative AI service. This fully managed service integrates large language models (LLMs) from Cohere and Meta Llama 2, addressing a wide range of business use cases. The service supports over 100 languages, providing enterprises with improved GPU cluster management and flexible fine-tuning options.
Greg Pavlik, Senior Vice President, AI and Data Management, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, outlined Oracle’s approach to AI. “Oracle’s AI focus is on solving real-world business use cases, embedding AI across all layers of the technology stack.”
The latest models from Cohere and Meta Llama 2, available in a managed service consumed via API calls, simplify the customisation of generative AI models. The OCI Generative AI Agents service, now in beta, combines the power of LLMs and enterprise search built on OCI OpenSearch. This provides contextualised results enhanced with enterprise data, allowing users to converse with diverse enterprise data sources through natural language.
Empowering women in AI
In a move towards inclusivity and skill enhancement, Oracle, in collaboration with the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), launched the ‘sAIdaty’ initiative. This one-year programme aims to enhance AI skills among women professionals and entrepreneurs in Dubai and the wider UAE, aligning with the country’s AI economy goals.
Nadine Halabi, Business Development Manager at DBWC, expressed the significance of the initiative, stating, “The ‘sAIdaty’ initiative, led by Oracle Women Leadership, will equip 500 of our members with crucial artificial intelligence skills, propelling them to forefronts of innovation.”
The programme, led by Oracle Women Leadership (OWL), includes training sessions on various AI topics such as cloud computing, basics of AI, Generative AI, machine learning, IoT, and blockchain. Additionally, leadership skills workshops hosted by OWL members aim to empower women professionals in technology and contribute significantly to the UAE’s digital economy goals.
Shaping the future
The Oracle CloudWorld Tour 2024 in Dubai was more than just a tech event; it was a manifestation of Dubai’s commitment to digital transformation. It was a convergence of technological innovation, strategic vision, and collaborative partnerships. It not only showcased the latest advancements in cloud and AI but also underscored the pivotal role that Dubai plays in the global tech landscape. The event was a testament to the city’s commitment to shaping the future of enterprise technology and solidifying its position as a global technology hub.
