Gitex Europe can forge new corridor of co-operation, UAE minister says

Berlin event aims to nurture next generation of innovators

Dubai's long-running technology exhibition has extended with the first edition of Gitex Europe. AP

A new economic corridor and new business partnerships can be forged from the first European edition of Dubai’s long-running technology exhibition, Gitex, government ministers have said.

On the opening day of Gitex Europe in Berlin, Alia Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, hoped the event would attract further investment into UAE tech companies.

Since its inaugural event in Dubai in 1981, Gitex has expanded to host events in technology, business and health care in Africa, Asia and now Europe.

More than 1,400 start-up companies and established technology businesses were on show at exhibition stands packed into the Messe Berlin conference centre for the three-day event.

“Gitex has always been a place where people come together to shape what comes next, but this event is not only about technology – it is about vision, collaboration and the will to build a smarter, more connected, resilient global future,” said Ms Al Mazrouei.

“We are here not just to showcase innovation, but to co-invest in a future that is technologically enabled and globally networked.”

National pavilions representing India, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, South Korea, the UK – as well as the UAE – were hoping to develop new business opportunities and invest in start-ups.

Trade partnerships

As the third largest global economy, Germany is viewed as rich in potential for new investment and bi-lateral partnerships in technology.

Last year, non-oil trade between Germany and the UAE reached 13.4 billion euros, a 5 per cent increase from the previous year.

Germany is now the UAE’s second-largest trading partner within the EU.

In May, it was announced Abu Dhabi investors MGX would partner with world leading artificial intelligence firm Nvidia and other French companies to build a 1.4 gigawatt Ai campus near Paris.

The initiate will focus on AI, quantum computing, and next generation materials.

It is an example of how technology will continue to play a critical role in European partnerships, Ms Al Mazrouei said.

“Together, we are shaping a new economic corridor, one powered by innovation and grounded in common purpose,” said Ms Al Mazrouei in her opening speech.

“The UAE may be small in territory, but we are expansive in ambition.

“We are building an economy that is digitally fluent, environmentally conscious, globally connected and intellectually open.

“We are not just scaling businesses – we are scaling mindsets and nurturing the next generation of innovators.”