Oracle is increasing its capacity in UAE hubs, such as Abu Dhabi, by fivefold as the GCC accelerates its adoption of cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

This is according to Richard Smith, Oracle’s executive vice president for technology in EMEA, who was speaking to Gulf Business along the sidelines of the Oracle CloudWorld Tour in Dubai this week.

Oracle is in the process of adding significant infrastructure, including GPUs, to its data centres in the UAE capital Smith said. The company further expects demand to keep pace with its expansion.

“In the Middle East, the appetite for cloud growth and AI capabilities is phenomenal,” Smith told Gulf Business.

He noted the region’s transformative agendas, including Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE’s national goals. He also emphasised that these initiatives have galvanised focus and driven rapid advancements in digital infrastructure.

The surge in AI adoption is also reshaping the technology landscape across the region.

“AI adoption in the Middle East and Africa is among the fastest globally,” Smith said, attributing the trend to transformative governmental agendas.

Oracle is positioned to support this demand with its deep AI partnerships, including collaborations with OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta, and its extensive AI infrastructure.

The switch to sovereign cloud

The GCC’s shift towards sovereign cloud solutions has been a key driver of Oracle’s growth. The company’s Alloy platform is designed to meet the region’s data sovereignty requirements, ensuring sensitive data remains within national borders.

“Oracle has signed several sovereign agreements, including with STC in Saudi Arabia, du in the UAE, and others in Bahrain and Kuwait, to deliver high-end Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services through our Alloy platform,” Smith said.

These agreements allow organisations to manage and protect sensitive public sector data while accessing over 100 cloud services tailored to regional needs.

In the UAE, telecommunications giant du is leveraging Oracle Alloy to provide sovereign AI services and cloud capabilities to business, government, and public sector clients.

The telecom company’s deployment of Alloy enables it to run these services from its own UAE-based data centres, giving its customers greater control over operations, location, and security. The platform also allows du to accelerate the adoption of AI technologies, such as machine learning and generative AI, in the public sector.

“Ultimately, the Middle East’s strong demand for sovereign cloud solutions is driven by political structures and transformative agendas,” Smith added, underscoring the importance of balancing modernisation with data security.

From on-premise to modern cloud infrastructure

Many GCC organisations are transitioning from on-premise systems to modern cloud solutions, Smith said.

“Many customers here already run Oracle applications on-premise, and transitioning to Alloy helps modernise while meeting sovereignty requirements,” he told Gulf Business.

This shift allows organisations to move from static environments to dynamic cloud platforms that receive regular updates, including incremental AI capabilities. Bahrain, for example, is using Alloy to modernise its systems while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.

Global tech investments signal AI’s future

Smith’s comments around the growing demand for AI in the region come amid some of the world’s most prominent names in tech pledging to inject $500bn into building artificial-intelligence infrastructure in the US earlier this week.

The joint venture, known as Stargate, is led by OpenAI and global tech investor Softbank. Oracle and UAE tech investor MGX are also equity partners in the venture.

As part of the plan, new AI data centres are set to be built in the US.

“The past year has been an explosion of AI innovation and adoption. For Oracle, AI isn’t new: we’ve been in machine learning and data for 47 years,” Smith said.

“Data has always been at the core of AI, and we’ve developed systems like the autonomous database, which is self-provisioning, self-orchestrating, and self-repairing.

“What has changed is the intelligence in both software and hardware, enabling us to process petabytes of data and use natural language querying to make decisions. This goes beyond tools like ChatGPT, enabling deep data understanding and insights. AI is a burgeoning area of growth, and Oracle is at the forefront, from building capacity to deploying advanced hardware and generative AI layers,” he concluded.

Oman’s state-owned logistics firm Asyad Group plans to sell shares in its shipping unit through an initial public offering, it said on Wednesday, as part of the Gulf country’s privatisation drive.

The group, owned by Oman’s sovereign wealth fund, plans to sell a stake of at least 20 per cent in Asyad Shipping Company and float it on the Muscat Stock Exchange, it said in a document detailing its intention to float.

“The intended listing would provide investors with the opportunity to invest in one of the world’s largest diversified maritime shipping companies and a key player in the Omani economy,” the company said.

Oman is pushing forward with a privatisation drive to attract foreign investors.

That strategy, along with fiscal reforms, has helped the Sultanate pay down debt and turn its large fiscal deficit of recent years into a surplus since 2022.

Asyad Shipping transports liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, and other products. Its customers and partners include energy firms BP and Shell and trading firm Trafigura.

Reuters reported in July last year that Asyad was planning an initial public offering of the subsidiary and had selected Jefferies Group and EFG Hermes as advisers.

The offering will be made in two tranches, with 75 per cent going to eligible investors in Oman and qualified institutional and other foreign investors. The firm said that 30 per cent of the 75 per cent tranche had been earmarked for anchor investors, but it did not name them.

The remaining 25 per cent will be sold to retail investors in Oman.

The subscription period is expected to start next month after the company has received regulatory approval.

Asyad Shipping plans to pay dividends semi-annually for the first six months of this year, beginning in September 2025.

The company posted an adjusted core profit margin of 69 per cent for the first nine months of last year, up from 65 per cent for the same period in 2023.

Oman Investment Bank, EFG Hermes, JP Morgan and Jefferies are acting as joint global coordinators. Sohar International is acting as a joint global coordinator and issue manager.

Credit Agricole and Societe Generale are joint bookrunners.

Read: Oman’s OQ to raise $490m from IPO of methanol, ammonia unit

Givaudan is a global leader in the creation of flavours and fragrances, serving a wide range of industries including food, beverages, personal care, and home care. With a rich heritage spanning over 250 years, the Swiss-based company combines creativity and innovation with advanced science to craft unique sensory experiences that connect with consumers worldwide.

In November last year, the company opened its Innovation Hub in Dubai to cater to South Asia, Middle East, and Africa (SAMEA) region

The state-of-the-art facility brings cutting-edge technology and a focus on health-forward ingredients to deliver exceptional flavours and functional products tailored to local preferences.

Here, Olga Bezukladova – regional innovation head at Givaudan Taste and Wellbeing, shares more details about the hub and the company’s work in the food and flavours space.

Could you elaborate on the strategic vision behind Givaudan’s Innovation Hub which opened in November last year in Dubai, and how it enhances Givaudan’s capabilities in the South Asia, Middle East and African (SAMEA) region as part of the broader global ecosystem?

The new Givaudan Innovation Hub, the latest addition to Givaudan’s global innovation network, represents a strategic evolution for the SAMEA region. Strengthening our capabilities and commitment to the region, it integrates increased autonomy tailored to local operations while remaining an integral part of the global organisation.

This hub also serves as a powerhouse for food and beverage creations, tailored to regional preferences with the latest tools and expertise. Additionally, it acts as the driving force behind Givaudan’s innovation pipeline in the region, ensuring its products perfectly align with consumer and customer needs.

The facility also features a state-of-the-art show kitchen and laboratories with capabilities in flavour creation and application, sensory evaluation, and food science.

What role will the Consumer and Sensory Insights (CSI) centre in Dubai play in tailoring products to local and regional preferences, and how does it complement Givaudan’s other consumer insight centres worldwide?

As Givaudan’s innovation hub is based in Dubai, it was necessary to have a full-fledged consumer and sensory lab with the highest global standards. This was important not only to bring the voice of consumers early in the food and beverage creation process but also to drive consumer-centric innovation that is relevant for the region.

Givaudan’s leadership team was very keen on having consumer and sensory hubs around the region to manage the different consumer needs and to be closer to our customers and consumers. With that, there are three fully equipped and resourced centres in Dubai, Mumbai and Johannesburg.

The new laboratories and Consumer and Sensory Insights Centre (CSI) in Dubai meet global standards, accelerating the creation and delivery of new products. This results in a reduction in the time it takes for customers to introduce new products to the market, swiftly transforming consumer desires into tangible product offerings.

Givaudan’s pioneering technologies like ATOM and VAS sound transformative. Could you share more about these innovations and how they support Givaudan’s global mission of enhancing taste and aroma while aligning with regional needs?

Aligned with our company’s 2025 strategy and intent to lead the way in digitalisation, pioneering tools like ATOM and VAS open new doors to creative development and can dramatically cut the time to market for new products. For example, the Virtual Aroma Synthesizer (VAS) was invented to speed up flavour creation and eliminate inconsistencies in descriptive language. Today, it has evolved immensely and allows for a faster generation of concepts, with ‘real-time’ flavour creation, as well as a high level of interaction between customers and our teams in what we call co-creation sessions.

Thanks to the newer and smaller VAS Air, the technology has become much more portable and easy to set up not only for co-creation with customers but also for consumer testing. Working with the VAS helps us to identify consumer preferences towards certain flavours. We can see that in multiple icons such as strawberry or vanilla flavour in a specific market across SAMEA. We pinpoint these nuances and then use these findings to co-create winning products.

ATOM is the latest addition to an ecosystem of digital and AI tools that allow Givaudan teams in all regions of the world to streamline the end-to-end creation process from conception to rollout. Building on over two decades of research, ATOM uses artificial intelligence (AI) and data science techniques to generate new options and insights aligned with consumer preferences, enabling us to co-create game-changing new food experiences.

Early projects using the tools have been highly successful. For example, we used ATOM in recent developments for our key partners in North Africa. The tool helped to eliminate the extensive trial and error process and come up with the best winning solution based on consumer feedback, our expertise and internal knowledge.

The Innovation Hub features state-of-the-art facilities like a show kitchen and specialised laboratories. How do these spaces support Givaudan’s co-creation efforts with clients, and how does this approach differ from traditional product development?

Givaudan’s Innovation Hub integrates a fully-equipped Consumer and Sensory Insights (CSI) centre, a co-creation suite, and state-of-the-art technical laboratories.

The CSI centre enhances consumer-centricity through comprehensive product evaluation, real-time data analysis, and sensory evaluation booths with specialized air handling systems to prevent cross-contamination, allowing us to be ahead of the latest trends in the industry when it comes to consumers’ expectations in food and beverages.

The co-creation suite is a dedicated space where our proprietary digital tools like the Virtual Aroma Synthesizer (VAS) and ATOM are utilised, along with an industrial kitchen and multifunctional spaces outfitted with advanced video conferencing and interactive screens. The room was designed to facilitate seamless collaborations with customers for real-time product refinement and faster market readiness, enabling us to deliver innovative solutions that meet the latest trends & surpass consumer expectations.

Complementing this room is a cutting-edge show kitchen that facilitates collaboration between our flavourists, chefs and customers to nurture creativity and co-create exceptional food experiences.

In parallel, the technical laboratories we have in-house feature well-equipped spaces for flavour creation and application, emphasising global standards in food safety and environmental sustainability, and ensuring an optimal working environment that prevents cross-contamination when prototyping for the next innovation.

Beyond taste and aroma, Givaudan also explores solutions in areas like functional foods and natural ingredients. How does this Hub contribute to advancing Givaudan’s research in these areas, and are there any key trends you’re excited about?

Year after year, we are witnessing consumers become increasingly health-focused, emphasising a demand for functionality and natural ingredients. As a response to that and to other pressing and changing market conditions, we have realigned our portfolio to better reflect how, through our expanded product offering and capabilities, we support customers to deliver future-facing food experiences that consumers value.

Anchoring our flavour, taste, natural functional and nutritional capabilities around the concept of food experiences enables us to link what we do with the benefits that consumers expect from the food, beverages and nutraceutical products they consume.

Lastly, Givaudan has a strong history of global partnerships and collaborations. Are there any new partnerships in the SAMEA region, particularly those involving local universities or research institutions, that are advancing your mission in taste and wellbeing?

Givaudan has a strong history of fostering partnerships that enhance our mission in taste and wellbeing, particularly through our front-end innovation (FEI) program. The programme is designed to explore new ideas and technologies that can lead to breakthrough products. By partnering with academic institutions, we gain access to cutting-edge research and insights that are crucial for developing innovative flavours and health-focused solutions. We have also developed a broad network to find and accelerate disruptive food technologies.

These platforms are continuously scouting and incubating potential areas of innovation in the food and beverage industry. Our front-end innovation platform has facilitated exceptional partnerships with leading accelerators, including MassChallenge (Switzerland), MISTA(San Francisco), Bits x Bites (China), FoodTech HUB Latam (Brazil) and top VCs leading the way in the foodtech industry. Since the creation of SAMEA in 2021, we are in the process of creating similar partnerships in the region.

Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told President Donald Trump that the kingdom plans to expand its investments and trade with the US by $600bn in the coming four years, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to the US President in a congratulatory phone call on Wednesday.

During the call, the two leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral ties in various areas. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Saudi Arabia was eager to seize partnership and investment opportunities created by the new administration’s anticipated reforms, which could achieve “unprecedented economic prosperity.”

SPA quoted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as telling President Trump that the investment “could increase further if additional opportunities arise.”

Following his inauguration on Monday, Trump said that he would consider making Saudi Arabia his first destination for a foreign visit if the kingdom agreed to buy $500bn worth of American products, similar to what he did in his first term.

Earlier this month, Hussein Sajwani, founder and chairman of DAMAC Properties, said he expects more investments from the oil-rich Gulf into the US as President Trump’s second term in office heralds a “pro-business” climate.

The Emirati billionaire plans to invest $20bn in data centres in eight US states over the coming years, joining a number of corporates and executives angling to win favour from the Trump administration.

Read: DAMAC Group’s Hussain Sajwani to invest $20bn in US data centres

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled its newest Galaxy S25 smartphones, powered by Qualcomm’s chips and Google’s artificial-intelligence model, hoping its upgraded AI features can reinvigorate sales and fend off Apple and Chinese rivals.

Samsung also previewed a thinner version of the flagship models at the end of an event in California, aiming to launch the Galaxy S25 Edge in the first half of this year ahead of Apple’s anticipated rollout of its slimmer iPhone.

Samsung was faster than Apple in launching an AI-powered smartphone but failed to regain its crown in the global smartphone market last year, squeezed by competition with the US rival in the premium market and with Chinese firms in the lower-end segment.

“We are one step ahead of the industry in terms of offering AI features. I believe we are going in the right direction,” Park Ji-sun, the executive vice president who leads Samsung‘s Language AI team, told Reuters.

Samsung kept the prices of its Galaxy S25 series unchanged at between $799 and $1,299.

The new Galaxy S25 uses Gemini offered by Alphabet’s Google as its default AI engine, and features Samsung‘s upgraded in-house voice assistant, Bixby, Park said.

The two tools complement each other, and Bixby plays a key role at Samsung, whose products span mobile phones to TVs and home appliances, he said.

Thomas Husson, an analyst at Forrester, said that differentiating Bixby would be a challenge for Samsung.

“I don’t think there is really a killer application today that you know would convince them (consumers), ‘OK, I’m going to buy this one because it’s an AI smartphone,'” he said.

Husson added, however, that AI features could create a halo effect around the Samsung brand.

S25: more ‘personalised’ AI experience

The Galaxy S25 will offer a more personalized AI experience. For example, its “Now Brief” service – which makes recommendations to users based on personalised data that is stored and processed on the phone for privacy reasons – will display a suite of customised items such as calendars, news and bedroom air temperature and carbon dioxide levels, Park said.

The phone will be able to carry out multiple tasks with a single command, such as finding upcoming sporting events and then adding them to users’ calendars.

Samsung shares were down 1.1 per cent, lagging the wider market’s 0.4 per cent loss.

Samsung used Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for the entire Galaxy S25 lineup, ditching its own mobile chip Exynos, a major change of strategy for a company that previously used both to have more bargaining power with suppliers.

Using a Qualcomm chip is a setback to the South Korean firm’s chip business, which counts its mobile division as one of its major customers.

Samsung did not say why it decided not to use its own chips in the new model.

A person familiar with the matter said Samsung is looking to use the Exynos chip in its foldable phones to be launched later this year.

“The Galaxy S25 series’ sale is important at a time when Samsung‘s foldable phone sales have been stagnating in the face of challenges from Chinese companies,” Lim Su-jeong, associate director at research firm Counterpoint, said.

Samsung‘s preliminary fourth-quarter profit, released earlier this month, missed estimates by a large margin due to chip development costs and rising competition in the smartphone market.