du to launch hyperscale cloud, sovereign AI services for govt, public sector

du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has announced it will deploy Oracle Alloy to provide hyperscale cloud and sovereign AI services for government and public sector entities in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Oracle Alloy is a comprehensive cloud infrastructure platform that enables Oracle partners to become cloud providers.

The two entities inked the agreement during the recent AI Retreat, an event under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Muhammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai.

The event brought together decision-makers, industry leaders, AI experts from government and private sectors, and global tech giants to discuss AI strategies, challenges, and opportunities.

We convened the AI Retreat in Dubai today, which brought together more than 2,500 government officials, executives, and experts. Featuring 35 sessions and workshops, the retreat saw the launch of new partnerships and initiatives that will contribute to shaping a new future for… pic.twitter.com/ADJqW0Iqjp

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) June 11, 2024

du is the first local hyperscale cloud provider to over 100 OCI

This deployment will make du the first local hyperscale cloud provider to offer a full suite of over 100 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services alongside its own value-added cloud services and applications.

These offerings will be tailored to meet the specific needs of the UAE market and industry verticals, ensuring compliance with local regulatory requirements.

Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO of du, commented, “The UAE is one of the fastest-growing cloud services markets globally. Public sector entities here rapidly embrace cloud benefits such as agility, efficiency, security, and access to advanced technologies like AI and machine learning.

“The deployment of Oracle Alloy marks a significant step in our evolution into the cloud services market, enhancing our portfolio of managed services with comprehensive public cloud capabilities. This will enable us to meet our customers’ transformation demands effectively.”

du will leverage Oracle Alloy to accelerate its internal digital transformation and modernise its IT and engineering ecosystem. The collaboration with Oracle and NVIDIA will also allow du to offer sovereign AI capabilities and GPU-as-a-Service to government entities in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. This partnership will enable du to deploy advanced AI capabilities quickly, supported by Oracle’s distributed cloud, AI services, and generative AI services, along with NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform and software.

Read: Oracle, NVIDIA join forces to deliver sovereign AI solutions

Nick Redshaw, senior vice president of technology and UAE country leader at Oracle, said, “Oracle Alloy is a critical component of our distributed cloud strategy, offering our partners and customers flexibility in how they build, deploy, and operate cloud services. With du’s extensive customer network and local expertise, they are well positioned to help the governments of Dubai and other Emirates harness the high performance, flexibility, security, and scalability offered by OCI.”

du will operate these services from its data centre in the UAE, allowing customers to migrate their systems to the cloud more efficiently while maintaining control over operations, location, and security, thereby supporting digital sovereignty.

Oracle remains the only hyperscaler capable of delivering AI and a comprehensive suite of cloud services across dedicated, public, and hybrid cloud environments globally.