This October get ready for the 2nd edition of W.Media’s Dubai Cloud & Datacenter Convention and Awards. The exclusive day-long convention will be held at Conrad Dubai on October 12th.
W.Media’s Dubai Cloud & Datacenter Convention and Awards 2023 will see participation from the crème de la crème of the data center industry. These include over 350 industry experts and thought leaders, including C-level executives, digital infrastructure professionals including architects, engineers and consultants (AECs), key buyers, decision makers, data center owners and operators.
Data center boom in the Middle East
Over the last few years, the Middle East has rapidly emerged as a vibrant hub for the cloud and data center industry. Mordor Intelligence estimates the data center industry in the region to grow at a Compounded Average Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.74 per cent.
Data centers having a capacity of over 460 MW are already live, and infrastructure to support an equivalent capacity is already under construction. What also helps is that the region has access to as many as 45 submarine cables, and is also betting big on its abundance of solar energy to power its datacenters in a sustainable manner.
The boom in the data center industry is driven by not only the growing demand for digital services, but also developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Many governments in the Middle East are also pushing for increased digitization and are investing heavily in e-governance. Therefore, the data center industry is thriving in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Oman and Kuwait, among other nations in the region.
According to Dr. Ammar Alhusaini, Acting Director General, Central Agency for Information Technology, Government of Kuwait, “The Kuwait government is taking note of the flourishing cloud and data center industry in the region and trying to attract hyperscale and international companies to Kuwait.” Shedding light on latest developments he said, “Recently we signed an alliance framework agreement with Google Cloud to build a Google Cloud region in Kuwait. We have also signed an MoU with Microsoft.” Dr. Alhusaini will deliver the keynote address at W.Media’s Dubai Cloud & Datacenter Convention and Awards 2023.
Growth of the data center industry in UAE
UAE is home to close to two dozen data centers, and over 200 cloud service providers. According to a report by Agility Logistics Parks (ALP), the leading private owner and developer of industrial real estate in the Middle East & Africa, UAE’s colocation data center capacity stood at 164 MW in 2022-23.
Arizton Advisory & Intelligence valued the size of UAE’s data center market at US$ 1.25 billion in 2022. They predict it will reach US$ 1.91 billion by 2028. Dubai, already has a reputation as a tech-savvy international city, and is a jewel in the data center crown of the Middle East. It has attracted global interest and investments from global tech majors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Microsoft etc.
Shedding light on the huge growth in the datacenter industry in the region, Stephen Beard, Global Head of Data Centers, Knight Frank, says, “73% of data produced in Dubai / UAE in 2017 left its shores for destinations principally in the US, Europe and Asia. Today, 73% of that same data stays within the UAE. That’s a genuine reflection of growth.” Beard will be one of the guest speakers at the Dubai Cloud & Datacenter Convention and Awards 2023, and will participate in an interesting panel discussion on technological and infrastructural investments needed to deliver the digital future of the Middle East.
According to Adam Docrat, Head of Information Technology, Aster Retail GCC, the outlook for Dubai remains upbeat, and he feels that the industry will only grow “as companies increase their adoption into cloud computing and digital technology.” He says, “This is being driven both by government regulations (for example the 2020 Dubai Data Center Strategy) as well as by the growing demand for data storage and processing capacity, driven by the growth of big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.” He will be one of our esteemed speakers at Dubai Cloud & Datacenter Convention and Awards 2023 and will participate in a panel discussion on the role of colocation services in the growth of the data center industry in the region.
What to expect at Dubai Cloud & Datacenter Convention and Awards 2023
The day long convention will include several power-packed panel discussions, where the best and brightest minds in the industry will share their ideas on important subjects such as infrastructure investment, a hybrid IT journey, cyber-crime threats to cloud services, hyperscale data centers, Edge computing, planning, policy and skills.
Many top companies that provide a variety of services to data centers in the region have joined hands with W.Media as sponsors for the Dubai Cloud & Datacenter Convention and Awards 2023.
“We are expecting successful meeting and discussions with carefully chosen event participants that are key players and decision makers in data center business. We hope those discussions lead to fruitful business opportunities and partnerships,” says Kimmo Kytosaari, Business Development Director, Naficon. One of the leaders in fiber optics connectivity in the UAE, Naficon is one of our esteemed sponsors.
Mohammed Samara, Regional Sales Manager – MENA, PermAlert, another esteemed sponsor for the event, says, “We hope to be able to share our latest technology and best practices in this space to the help grow the data center industry in the Middle East.” PermAlert is behind a state-of-the-art liquid leak detection system that aims to make data centers safer and more sustainable.
“As a globally recognized leader in power distribution equipment, we are excited to showcase our unique plug & play product designed specifically for the data centre space. This event is perfect for us to connect and interact with the industry’s top data experts,” says Sathya Sivaramakrishnan, Regional Manager, Southwest Asia & Middle East for Starline, another esteemed sponsor for the event.
Why is W.Media betting big on the region?
W.Media is a leading international technology publisher, a cloud and data center technology community hub, and has been hosting a wide variety of data center industry events and gatherings across the world.
“The nations that make up the Middle East region represent different levels of data center and cloud maturity, technological and investment capability and demand profile. Therefore, the region is not just one single opportunity but a myriad of many for design and construction, outsourcing and cloud, networking and edge,” explains Nick Parfitt, Head of Content and Marketing at W.Media. “Digital transformation represents the latest opportunity set for data center owners, operators, legislators, investors and clients across the region to finetune their digital strategies and unlock further opportunity nationally and regionally,” he says.
REGISTER NOW!
Come join us at The Conrad on October 12th, 2023, for the Dubai Cloud & Datacenter Convention and Awards. If you haven’t booked your passes yet, hurry! Click here to register, and learn more about the agenda, speakers, schedule, and session information.
Visit W.Media to register and learn more about the agenda, speakers, schedule, and session information.
For sponsorship, exhibition and further involvement opportunities, get in touch at india@w.media
