Pop culture has Comic-Con, technology enthusiasts have GITEX - and GITEX Global 2025 is the biggest yet. There are 40 unicorns, 6800 exhibitors from 180 countries, and 1,200 investors with over US$ 1 trillion ready to put into the latest technology.
The event is organised by the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC) and runs alongside Expand North Star hosted by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy where startups and scaleups are all showcasing what could be the next big thing.
It's a fascinating look at where we are in the technology timeline and where the future is heading. The whole tech ecosystem is here. From big tech demonstrating how their products help businesses move faster and more efficiently, to optical & copper wire manufactures that are used in robotics and datacenters.
There are, of course, an ample amount of flying cars and dancing robots too, and a lot of pantomime.
Twenty-six halls of tech
Not including Expand North Star, GITEX Global has 26 halls over seven areas. The largest area is the Global Pavilion and AI / Cloud area spanning halls one to ten. Here you can see the likes of AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft and some of the biggest emerging technologies such as the next-gen smart contact lenses from XPANCEO.
Forget the flying cars. This was the most interesting thing I've seen at GITEX. The technology is still a few years from fruition but the company can demonstrate multiple proofs of concepts and can show how their patented technology is making prerequisites possible like ultra-thin circuits in laminate film to make this piece of science fiction a reality.
I'm a motorbike enthusiast, so I'm more impressed with getting closer to the ground than higher above it and are flying cars not just helicopters? Still, it was hard not to be in awe of the latest designs and plans for transport.
The second largest area is Global Digital Cities spanning halls twelve to nineteen. Essentially this is the world's Government supermarket where ministers can see how the latest AI technology is helping to relive congestion, monitor air quality, help coordinate interactions between public services and citizens, improve public planning, and (unsurprisingly) there is a lot of surveillance technology in this area. Such as drones that pop out of pods on demand.
Booths twenty to twenty-six are spread between the AI & Connectivity area and the Cyber Valley. Here you can see how connectivity is the catalyst for the expansion of AI into basically everything and dotted around everywhere are robots. Some cuter than others.
In the corner of Cyber Valley the main stage has been bustling with people eager to hear what the speakers at GITEX have to say about technology in this pivotal point in time.
We've already heard from Sam Altman and Peng Xiao on how AI is here now and Greg Jackson on the demands AI is putting on energy infrastructure. Plus we've been learning about how new neural networks and more efficient chips are bringing AI into homes from the CEO of Liquid AI and the father of the USB stick. There is so much going on it's hard to choose between listening to the people creating and shaping the technology of the future and walking around looking at companies implementing it.
And, on that note. I've got more booths to visit.
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