Middle East Smart Cities Boost Global Market To USD 1.2 Trillion

The Middle East is boosting the global Smart Cities market growth, which research firm Markets and Markets expects to nearly triple to USD 1.2 trillion by 2022, industry experts announced today at the opening of GITEX Technology Week.

Across the Middle East and North Africa, innovative public-private partnerships are powering the future of Smart Cities; from Dubai in the UAE to NEOM in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

SAP is the first multi-national enterprise application software company with live cloud data centers in the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the latter part of a wider Saudi Arabia Digital Hub.  

Pushing the boundaries of future urban mobility in Smart Cities, SAP is marking the Middle East debut of one of the world’s smartest concept vehicles at GITEX this year. Visitors to the SAP booth can experience how vehicle chassis and pods can be re-arranged for smart taxi fleets, and how connected logistics and waste management are revolutionizing the Smart City vehicular experience.

“The Middle East’s Smart Cities are global pioneers in embracing the vision of the Intelligent Enterprise. Not only are they running on the cloud, they are investing in industry vertical use cases – including connected transportation – in a manner that can transform the economy, society and the environment at large,” commented Steve Tzikakis, SAP President of South Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Dubai’s Smart City leadership makes GITEX an ideal platform to showcase how artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things can uniquely enable the future of Smart Cities.”

Showcasing the Future of Smart Cities, SAP is exhibiting under “The Intelligent Enterprise” theme at GITEX this year. During the event, SAP will be exchanging Smart Cities best practice co-innovation such as Buenos Aires’ smart storm drains, Cape Town’s emergency command center, and Nanjing’s smart traffic.

Intelligent Enterprises Leverage AI, Machine Learning, Blockchain, and IoT

At the SAP stand in Hall 6 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, from October 14-18, visitors can experience five additional cloud-first business scenarios:

The Intelligent Entertainment Park – Live Ferris Wheel demonstrates how park administrators can optimize design new attractions, transform guest services, and enhance operations.

Blockchain for Supply Chain – Blockchain can expand digitization, trust, and efficiency, with examples in fair trade ingredients, smart shipping contracts, and detecting counterfeit equipment.

Smart Kicker Powered by SAP Leonardo – Connected table football demonstrates how real-time statistics can visualize football matches in new ways for players and coaches, fans, and media.

Intelligent Enterprise and Digital Supply Chain – Inspired by adidas, visitors can step inside a Virtual Reality environment to experience end-to-end design and production processes of products.

Future of Work and Human Resources Digital Experience – Augmented Reality scenarios with Microsoft HoloLens allow visitors to discover trends in recruiting, onboarding, and development.

“The Middle East’s early adopters of cloud-based innovative technologies are rapidly gaining market share and competitiveness,” added Steve Tzikakis. “Visionaries are piloting use cases and then scaling up on the cloud to transform global manufacturing supply chains, Smart Cities, mega-events, and ultimately to help realize nationwide visions.”

SAP Supports Startups Aligned with GITEX Future Stars

SAP offers several programs to support aspiring startups and entrepreneurs in innovating together. In 2015, SAP launched global initiatives for startups in the Middle East and North Africa region, and since then, SAP has inspired and supported more than 950 innovators.

During GITEX, visit the SAP stand to see innovative solutions in action that cover the SAP HANA in-memory platform, SAP S/4HANA real-time business suite, SAP C/4HANA customer experience solutions, and SAP Leonardo digital innovation system.