The buzz intensified on Day 2 of GITEX GLOBAL 2025, as record crowds and packed conference halls reaffirmed the unstoppable momentum of the world’s largest technology and AI event.
The day’s proceedings opened with a thought-provoking virtual discussion on ‘AI-Native Societies; between Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and Peng Xiao, Group CEO, G42, followed by influential leaders’ discussions from Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Khazna Data Centres, Cerebras, TAMM – Department of Government Enablement (Government of Abu Dhabi), Presight, Core42, Inception, AIQ, and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, delivering high-impact insights on the structural, economic, and cultural foundations of the intelligence economy.
Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Peng Xiao (G42), alongside global leaders, led the debates in the ‘AI-Native Societies Programme’.
Taking place from 13-17 October 2025, the 45th edition of GITEX GLOBAL converges more than 6,800 exhibitors, 2,000 startups, 1,200 investors, and delegations from over 180 countries. The second day shifted focus to the intricate elements forming nation-scale AI infrastructures – using an integration of quantum computing, cloud, data, tech policies, and software to drive economic and societal impact.
AI, Compute and Quantum Power Take the Main Stage
Opening Day 2’s dialogue, Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent, delivered insights on “Taking Control of Your Sovereign AI Future,” urging nations and enterprises to build autonomous compute infrastructure through open source and a future mindset. Jim Keller shared: “Open source is a path for innovation, but also a path to really own it, so you can chart your own destiny. Imagine there’s a world where you could own the AI IP, CPU tech, and there’s open source software. You just created a world where anybody could build an AI solution.”
Diving into the era of innovation powered by AI and quantum computing, Ana Paula Assis, SVP, Chair and General Manager for EMEA and Growth Markets at IBM, offered strategic insights on the interplay between AI models and quantum architectures. Ana Paula Assis explained: “How you deploy AI in a way that not only makes sense for the user but is also cost-effective. You need to consider these things all the time when developing use cases. With quantum architecture, we can parallelise a lot of operations to run at the same time, so innovators can come up with solutions today, which a classical computer would take years to achieve.”
Bringing a financial lens to the debates and discussions on-stage was Paul L. Palandjian, CEO & General Partner of O’Leary Ventures (USA), founded by the renowned investor and television personality, Kevin O’Leary. Paul addressed the debates around sustainability and the race to build hyperscale data centres. On stage, he shared, “If you’re in the data centre business, by definition you’re in the power business. Today, there’s a tremendous shortage, especially in North America, for power.” On AI’s hype vs value, he shared, “We are in the first half of the first inning of a five-decade megatrend. The bubble that people are talking about is the over-exuberance for everything AI and the valuations being ascribed to emerging AI companies. But the megatrend of power generation or data is not going away.”
Moving into the creative domain, Eliah Seton, CEO of SoundCloud (USA), addressed “The Future of Music in the Age of AI – Ethics, Equity and Opportunity,” calling for balance between creativity and transparency. Eliah elaborated, “AI and music is a question of trust and transparency. One of the major challenges is whether generative AI companies have trained their models on human artistry, on IP, without consent. Content identification, AI detection and tagging content is key to build this trust and transparency to respect this artistry.”
Exhibitors Showcase Cloud, Data, and Developer Frontiers
Across the show floor, enterprise innovation continued to drive crowds.
Google Cloud captivated visitors with live demos of transformative AI-optimised data analytics and sustainable cloud architecture for the Middle East, speeding up innovation and business transformation across the region.
Abu Dhabi-based company specialised in advanced AI with real-world value, ai71 presented its suite of solutions transforming diverse sectors. Chiara Marcati, Chief AI Advisory & Business Officer, ai71, commented: “At GITEX GLOBAL, ai71 is demonstrating our applied AI products for enterprise and government and discussing our deployment architecture approach to working closely with customers to help them to overcome barriers to enterprise-wide AI adoption and unlock the full potential of AI to transform business. GITEX GLOBAL is a platform unlike any other for ai71 to connect with partners, customers and important stakeholders from across the technology ecosystem.”
At GITEX GLOBAL 2025, HPE unveiled next-generation solutions, including Morpheus Enterprise and VME for intelligent hybrid cloud orchestration, alongside the Cray supercomputing and their Sovereign AI Factory, a modular solution helping enterprises and governments deploy and scale trusted, locally governed AI infrastructure.
Developer audiences flocked to JetBrains to experience its powerful tools, which offer full control over organisational AI usage, privacy, and productivity with options like the AI coding assistants and AI agents. In addition, the company is presenting its IDE Services for enterprises to boost collaboration, streamline licence management, and centralise developer tool control.
Mangobot, a Dubai-based robotics company, showcased its lineup of advanced humanoid, industrial, and military-grade “Wolf Pack” dog robots. Its flagship A2 humanoid can learn complex skills such as surgical procedures, redefining digital healthcare and robotics.
Another robotics innovator, Micropolis, unveiled an autonomous vehicle engineered for police and public safety operations, capable of deployment in hazardous zones. Equipped with advanced sensors and AI-driven monitoring, it detects abnormal behaviour, gathers evidence, and reports incidents in real time.
MoUs Strengthen Multi-Sector Collaboration
Day 2 saw a series of high-profile partnership signings to reinforce the tech ecosystem growth across public and private sectors.
Microsoft and Dubai Municipality signed a memorandum of cooperation on cloud computing and cybersecurity strategy. While Deloitte and IBM announced a partnership to accelerate AI adoption at scale across the region, with a strategic focus on AI, financial operations, and cybersecurity. Among many public-private collaborations, First Abu Dhabi Bank also signed a collaboration with the UAE Media Council.
Event Momentum Builds with Day 3 Spotlighting Biotech & Digital Health
With every stand buzzing and registration counters overflowing, GITEX GLOBAL 2025 continues to set new records in attendance and impact. Day 3 shifts focus to breakthroughs in digital health and biosciences.
From gene-editing AI to computer-brain human implants and AI leveraging data from 100 million years of mammal resistance data to power new drug discoveries, GITEX GLOBAL sparks a new age of AI-driven human healthcare.
