This year’s GITEX GLOBAL cemented its role not just as a technology showcase, but as a formidable convenor for shaping national and economic strategy. The 45th edition, which gathered over 6,800 exhibitors, demonstrated a clear focus beyond futuristic gadgets, anchoring the global conversation firmly on the dual pillars of sovereign Artificial Intelligence and the regulatory frameworks required to manage it.
The tone was set by the UAE government itself. H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, articulated the national strategy in the opening sessions, explaining that the UAE “is not merely participating in the global race for innovation; it is shaping its contours… by building an economic model defined by resilience and a future orientation, grounded in knowledge and advanced technology.”
This sentiment was echoed by H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, who positioned the event as a unique platform for global governance. “As a platform, nothing really represents the UAE’s vision when it comes to technology, and the UAE’s position as a convener of the world than GITEX,” he stated, highlighting the event’s role in tackling “critical discussions on AI risk, ethics and sovereignty.”
This high-level policy focus provided the backdrop for the week’s most anticipated session, a virtual discussion between OpenAI‘s Sam Altman and Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42. They explored the structural foundations of “AI-Native Societies,” with Altman noting, “I hope that the UAE serves as an example for the rest of the world about what it looks like for a forward-thinking country to really embrace AI.”
Global partners echoed this focus on policy. The Hon. Evan Solomon, Canada’s Minister for AI and Digital Innovation, remarked, “GITEX is an absolutely core example of entrepreneurs being launched at a speed we’ve never seen – and we need to keep our values and build together.”
Sovereignty, Security and Infrastructure
The theme of building sovereign capability was a recurring one. Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent, was blunt in his assessment during a main stage address. “Open source is a path for innovation, but also a path to really own it, so you can chart your own destiny,” he urged, advocating for nations to build autonomous compute infrastructure.
The sheer scale of investment in this infrastructure was a talking point, with some questioning the hype. Paul L. Palandjian, CEO of O’Leary Ventures, dismissed such concerns. “We are in the first half of the first inning of a five-decade megatrend,” he said. “The bubble that people are talking about is the over-exuberance for everything AI… But the megatrend of power generation or data is not going away.”
This investment is seen as foundational. Phil Mottram, Executive Vice President for Growth Markets at HPE, noted, “With key investments being made into data centers and networks, the UAE is building the optimal foundation for AI adoption.”
However, this rapid advancement brings inherent risks. The cybersecurity track ran as a necessary and sobering counter-narrative throughout the week. Jaakko Jalkanen, VP Marketing at CybExer, warned that AI “introduces speed, scale, and unpredictability that traditional defensive systems struggle to manage… Nations must be able to own their defences.”
Kaspersky researchers released a new report at the event, highlighting that hashtags have become coordination tools for hacktivists and that DDoS remains the dominant attack method. H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government, stressed that technology alone is not the answer. “The main message is to have a strong Cyber Culture across nations and society,” he stated. “Our people, our society, is and will always be our first line of defense.”
Fintech Regulation in Focus
For the financial technology sector, the most tangible news came from the regulators themselves, who used the event to announce a landmark agreement. The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance regulatory cooperation.
This move aims to create a unified framework for the virtual asset market across Dubai’s economic free zones. Mark Steward, Chief Executive of the DFSA, said the MoU “will help the DFSA and VARA work together and share information on a formal basis to help develop further the virtual asset sector in Dubai.”
Matthew White, CEO of VARA, reinforced this, stating, “This MoU reinforces Dubai’s commitment to operating a single, high-integrity marketplace that sets global benchmarks for responsible innovation in virtual assets.”
This collaborative spirit was mirrored by other regulatory and market bodies. The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) showcased its own next-generation supervisory tools, including a virtual asset monitoring prototype and an investor AI assistant. H.E. Waleed Al Awadhi, CEO of the SCA, commented, “By leveraging advanced technologies… we are creating regulatory tools that anticipate change and protect confidence in the market.”
The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) Group went further, launching three new AI solutions: ‘Al Financial Insight’ to summarise complex disclosures, ‘Al Court Order Agent’ to automate judicial processing, and ‘TAMM for ADX Investors’ to simplify access for new investors. Abdulla Salem Alnuaimi, Group CEO of the ADX Group, said, “By embedding and integrating AI into our operations… we accelerated the operational efficiency of our capital market.”
Applied AI and New Partnerships
With the regulatory framework solidifying, the private sector showcased tangible applications. A key announcement in the fintech space was the MoU between Skyro UAE and Fasset. The firms will collaborate to develop stablecoin-powered retail international transfer solutions for the GCC. Roberto Mancone, CEO of Skyro GCC, described the partnership as “an important step in strengthening our group’s fintech capabilities across the GCC.”
The power of AI in the public sector was also on full display. Presight, a G42 company, and the UAE Federal Public Prosecution launched “Bayan,” an advanced legal Large Language Model (LLM). The system is designed to provide real-time judicial translation and multilingual collaboration. Chancellor Salem Ali Al Zaabi, Head of Public Prosecution, called it a “human-centered vision that views technology as a means to achieve justice, not an end in itself.”
Elsewhere, enterprise collaboration was a dominant theme. Huawei’s “Partner Park” brought together six partners, including Neuxnet for financial fraud detection and Trust Decision for AI-powered risk control, to demonstrate joint solutions. “The Huawei Partner Park exemplifies how collaboration… yields solutions that are greater than the sum of their parts,” said Taylor Zhou, Partner Development Vice President at Huawei MEA.
This move towards ‘Agentic AI’ to manage complex systems was also highlighted by Naji Salameh, CEO of IT Max Global. “By blending AI with human empathy,” he explained, “we enable organizations to deliver care, solve problems, and build loyalty at scale.”
As the week concluded, the event’s own strategy came into focus with the announcement of a massive global expansion, launching new GITEX-branded events in India, Brazil, Türkiye, and Serbia over the next two years. This move solidifies the show’s evolution from a regional tech hub to a global policy and technology brand, exporting its successful convening model worldwide.