Author: Art Ryan

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — At GITEX Global 2025, Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of the Alibaba Group, announced the establishment of its second data center in Dubai, reinforcing its long-term commitment to powering the Middle East’s digital transformation and advancing sovereign AI and cloud computing ecosystems. This milestone is part of Alibaba’s US$5.3 billion global investment program dedicated to AI infrastructure, cloud innovation, and sustainable data ecosystems. The new facility will significantly expand the region’s high-performance computing capacity and enable organizations to train and deploy AI models locally with enhanced speed, security, and compliance. 🏗️ Strategic…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — At GITEX Global 2025, du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), announced a landmark expansion of its partnership with Hassantuk, the UAE’s nationwide smart fire and life safety monitoring system powered by Core42 (a G42 company). The enhanced collaboration ushers in a new era of AI-driven public safety infrastructure, integrating intelligent monitoring, real-time analytics, and predictive response capabilities across thousands of buildings, facilities, and communities throughout the UAE. “With this expansion, du is transforming public safety from reactive to predictive — from response to prevention,” said a senior du spokesperson.“By combining cutting-edge connectivity with sovereign…

Dubai, UAE / Islamabad, Pakistan — In a highly anticipated show of strategic collaboration, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have elevated their technology and digital ambitions at GITEX Global 2025. The two nations affirmed their commitment to developing joint ecosystems in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, digital governance, and data sovereignty — a partnership designed to accelerate innovation, trade, and shared prosperity. The renewed cooperation follows a series of high-level engagements, involving ministers, AI and digital economy leaders, and institutional stakeholders from both countries — all converging at Dubai’s flagship tech event to synchronize vision, investment, and infrastructure. 🤝 Key…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — HP Inc. made a powerful statement at GITEX Global 2025, unveiling a bold portfolio of AI-powered devices, next-generation hybrid work solutions, and sustainable technologies designed to reshape how people create, collaborate, and compute in the age of artificial intelligence. At the heart of HP’s showcase was the debut of the HP ZGX Nano G1n, an ultra-compact, high-performance AI workstation — the first in a new class of devices purpose-built for local AI model development and deployment, bridging the gap between cloud and edge computing. The launch highlights HP’s strategic evolution from hardware manufacturer to AI…

Dubai, UAE — At this year’s GITEX Global 2025, the technology and innovation nexus is being redefined: 2,000 startups and growth-stage ventures are being connected directly with over 1,200 investors whose combined assets under management exceed US$1.1 trillion. This unprecedented access to capital positions GITEX as more than a trade show—it becomes a global investment launchpad. 🏗️ From Showcase to Scale: The Expand North Star Effect Under GITEX’s Expand North Star program — now in its 10th edition — burgeoning tech firms are granted a frontline stage to pitch, scale, and secure high-value deals. By merging innovation exposure with direct…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates / New Delhi, India — India has made a resounding statement of technological ambition and global competitiveness at GITEX Global 2025, one of the world’s largest technology exhibitions, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Led by the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), India’s participation this year is the largest in its GITEX history, featuring 237 leading companies across multiple innovation halls. The contingent demonstrates the nation’s growing strength across artificial intelligence, electronics manufacturing, IoT, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and digital services — reaffirming India’s position as a trusted technology partner to the world.…

Property management platform AppFolio has launched the AppFolio Performance Platform, which is built on artificial intelligence-native architecture. This platform securely stores and makes accessible property, resident and vendor data; automates repetitive tasks with agentic tools; and continuously optimizes its capabilities, the company said in a Tuesday (Oct. 14) press release. “The traditional focus on transactions and tasks no longer meets the needs of today’s operators,” Kyle Triplett, senior vice president of product at AppFolio, said in the release. “With our AI-native architecture — where intelligence is built in, not bolted on — we’re empowering customers to amplify human strengths: envisioning better futures and building…

Walmart announced on Tuesday (Oct. 14) that it has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-first shopping experiences, allowing customers and Sam’s Club members to complete purchases directly within ChatGPT using Instant Checkout. The partnership expands Walmart’s use of artificial intelligence across its retail operations and reflects a broader industry shift toward conversational and predictive commerce. Through this integration, customers can plan meals, restock essentials, or find new products by chatting with the system and Walmart will handle the transaction from start to finish. “For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of…

Visa has introduced a tool allowing secure communication between merchants and artificial intelligence (AI) agents. The Trusted Agent Protocol, announced Tuesday (Oct. 14), and created in partnership with Worldpay and Cloudfare, is designed to address the challenges centered around agent-driven commerce. “We believe the entire payments ecosystem has a responsibility to ensure sellers trust AI agents with the same confidence they place in their most valued customers and networks,” Jack Forestell, Visa chief product and strategy officer, said in a news release provided to PYMNTS. “For the past year, we’ve worked closely with sellers, issuers and partners to make sure agent-initiated…

As we close out 2025, one headline that captures the significant shift reshaping payments and commerce is how AI-powered fraud prevention is reshaping how we fight financial crime and better serve our customers. New breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and machine learning are fundamentally transforming how we protect consumers and maintain trust in digital financial ecosystems. At Block, we’ve witnessed this evolution firsthand. Our AI-powered scam prevention systems have protected customers from over $2 billion in potential fraud losses since 2020, with our confirmed scam rate remaining below 0.01% of all peer-to-peer transactions. The real story isn’t just about the money…

“Agentic AI is going to unlock a lot more commerce,” Rob Cameron, global head of Visa Acceptance Solutions, told PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster. That vision is already underway in what has become known as the prompt economy. Consumers are beginning to act as their own personalization engines. Rather than scrolling through endless product listings, they will opt to engage in curated conversations where prompts replace clicks and decisions unfold in real time. The shift is not only a change in how people shop. It represents a fundamental re-wiring of the ecosystems that connect consumers, processors and merchants, one that Cameron said Visa…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping financial services, from lending decisions to fraud detection. But as Green Dot Chief Product Officer Melissa Douros cautions, the technology’s impact hinges on something more fundamental: trust. Consumers must believe their data is secure, that AI-driven decisions are free from bias and that financial institutions are transparent about how systems work. Without those assurances, adoption will stall. “It can be very difficult to gain a customer’s trust, but then, once they’ve given you the privilege of holding their money or lending credit to them, you have to keep that trust,” Douros told PYMNTS. She emphasized that financial services firms…

Dubai, UAE — The world’s brightest minds will converge once again in the UAE for the Dubai AI Festival 2026, set to take place on 7–8 April 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, this year’s Festival — themed “Intelligence Ignited: From Vision to Impact” — is not just an event, but a global call to action for a future where AI serves humanity, drives innovation, and powers equitable growth. Organized by Dubai AI Campus in partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation, DIFC,…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — At GITEX Global 2025, du, the UAE’s leading integrated telecommunications and digital solutions provider, in partnership with Dubai SME, a division of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), unveiled the SME Empowerment Initiative — a transformative program designed to strengthen the UAE’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through AI, digital innovation, and strategic enablement. This joint initiative reflects a shared vision between public and private sectors to position the UAE as a global hub for entrepreneurship and intelligent enterprise, while supporting the national goals outlined in the UAE Centennial 2071 and the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Emirates Auction, the UAE’s leading online and public auction company, made a commanding impression at GITEX Global 2025 with the launch of its most advanced suite of AI-powered digital services, redefining the standards of transparency, efficiency, and accessibility in the auction industry. As a Platinum Partner at the Dubai Government Pavilion, Emirates Auction demonstrated its ongoing leadership in applying cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and data analytics to revolutionize user experience and operational excellence across its multi-sectoral auction platform. “Emirates Auction is proud to represent the UAE’s vision for a future driven…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — In a major leap toward digital sovereignty and AI empowerment, Core42, part of Abu Dhabi’s G42 Group, has unveiled its groundbreaking self-service AI Cloud Platform — “Compass” — at GITEX Global 2025. The new platform represents a bold stride in making AI infrastructure accessible, secure, and sovereign, empowering governments, enterprises, developers, and startups to independently build, train, and deploy AI models within a UAE-based, regulation-compliant cloud ecosystem. “With Compass, we are giving the region the tools to build its own AI future — on its own infrastructure, under its own data governance,” said Yousef Alharmoodi,…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — In a historic global debut at GITEX Global 2025, Dubai unveiled the world’s fastest supercomputer, marking a quantum leap in computational power, artificial intelligence capability, and sovereign digital infrastructure. Engineered through a landmark collaboration between international technology partners, research institutions, and regional AI authorities, the supercomputer cements the UAE’s leadership in high-performance computing (HPC), AI research, and data sovereignty — making Dubai a global nexus for next-generation scientific and industrial innovation. 🌍 A Monumental Leap in Computing Power The newly unveiled supercomputer achieves exascale performance — capable of performing over 10¹⁸ calculations per second, surpassing…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Amid the global spotlight of GITEX Global 2025, Finder Group AI officially launched its revolutionary model of AI investing in AI — introducing a transformative approach designed to accelerate next-generation startups, empower ethical innovation, and reshape the region’s digital economy. Operating under the visionary motto “By AI, For AI,” Finder Group AI stands at the intersection of capital, cognition, and creativity — a bridge uniting human ingenuity with artificial intelligence to build the foundations of tomorrow’s tech economy. 🌍 A New Paradigm: Investing Intelligently in Intelligence Finder Group AI was conceived with one central belief:…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Global software innovator Wondershare made a commanding appearance at GITEX Global 2025, unveiling a portfolio of AI-powered creativity and productivity solutions under the theme “More AI, More Possibilities.” From enterprise automation and data protection to creative content generation, Wondershare’s showcase captured the attention of government leaders, industry experts, and innovators — positioning the company as a key catalyst of digital transformation in the Middle East. 🚀 Reimagining Work and Creativity Through AI At its immersive pavilion inside the Dubai World Trade Centre, Wondershare demonstrated how its latest innovations are revolutionizing both corporate and creative workflows.…

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The Dubai Rental Disputes Center (RDC), operating under the Dubai Land Department (DLD), has unveiled its groundbreaking Digital Indicators Platform during GITEX Global 2025, marking a major milestone in the emirate’s journey toward fully data-driven real-estate governance and digital transformation. The initiative represents a new chapter in Dubai’s ongoing mission to enhance judicial efficiency, public transparency, and stakeholder trust in the property sector through real-time analytics, AI-powered insights, and open access to key performance data. 🌐 Transforming Real-Estate Intelligence through Data The Digital Indicators Platform serves as a comprehensive, interactive digital ecosystem that centralizes and…