‘Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Hub’ launched at Gitex Global

In support of the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI) 2031, the Ajman Free Zone has launched its “Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Hub” at GITEX Global 2021.

The free zone, which is participating as part of the Ajman Government’s pavilion, said that its new integrated Centre provides digital access to its services such as company registration, visa sponsorship, residence visa application, and many more.

More than 9,000 companies and institutions operating in its community will benefit from its fully digital business system.

The hub will empower small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large companies, academic institutions, and government entities. Apart from having digital access to services, enterprises and organisations registered with the free zone can also leverage the hub to develop, enhance and promote their products and services and join training programmes and events.

Ali Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Ajman Free Zone, said, “The launch is part of our commitment to expand our support to our partners and use the latest technological innovations to add value to our services and products. It is also our response to the directives of Ajman’s wise leadership to modernise the services in the emirate by adopting new technologies and keeping pace with current and future trends and developments.” “Through this initiative, we also aim to show our support for the UAE Strategy for AI 2031, which seeks to position the UAE as a global leader in the AI sector. Innovation and entrepreneurship are pivotal to the national economy and key to achieving our desired transformation in the digital era. In addition, the new platform will allow us to make AI and robotics the basic pillars of our research activities that can support various organisations across sectors, including education,” Al Suwaidi added.

According to him, the hub will drive the growth of businesses operating in the free zone by ensuring access to a broader network of technology leaders and developing their innovative ideas with economic value.

On the sidelines of its GITEX participation, the free zone signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Huawei Cloud, AI Directions, Nippon, Action to Action, and Project Management Institute (PMI).

Al Suwaidi explained that the free zone’s expanding network of strategic partners enables it to connect with major corporations that can influence and help shape the future of critical industries. “Through our joint efforts with leading international companies, we can further increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of Ajman Free Zone by upgrading our digital capabilities and enhancing our value-added services provided through an integrated platform. We will continue to offer easy and fast access to our wide range of cost-effective facilities, incentives, and innovative solutions according to the current and emerging needs of businesses and investors.” As part of its partnership with Huawei Cloud, the free zone will be the global consulting partner.

Etisalat futuristic solutions: Etisalat is demonstrating the retail spaces of tomorrow at GITEX Global 2021 with futuristic solutions that will transform the brick-and-mortar experience setting the pace for digital retail and enabling a digital experience for consumers.

With 5G connectivity, digitisation is a reality and during this year’s edition, the demonstrations will help visitors witness the evolution of retail and experience a connected store at the same time. Now with the 5G network, it will become a critical enabler of these futuristic use cases opening up a world of opportunities for the retail sector.

The main sections of smart retail focus on grocery smart checkout solutions, food and beverages, lifestyle and connected fashion and retail dashboard. There are advanced AI use cases, machine learning and computer vision all with Etisalat’s payment’s functionality integrated to demonstrate the capability of providing complete end-to-end solutions in this domain with enhancements like wearables and facial recognition for payments.

As soon as a visitor enters the smart retail area, it’s a futuristic experience. They begin their shopping experience with a Caper smart cart enabled by AI moving to an augmented shopping experience from Innovent ( Mojix) with a backend dashboard simulating all transactions, biometrics from Fujitsu’s Fulcrum adds to the contactless experience and a smart check out from Bizerba.

Other retail solutions just add to the holistic retail experience: advanced delivery solutions from Kiwibot; an unmanned store technology called Vicki with automated vending machine; and Pickey’s smart wearable captures all actions made by the user. SuperHii highlights a seamless checkout solution, which is also a great example of how Etisalat’s eWallet and Smiles can be integrated.

WAM