Dubai, UAE – 11 October 2025: The global technology and innovation spotlight turns to Dubai next week as GITEX GLOBAL 2025, the world’s largest and most influential tech and AI event, kicks off from 13-17 October at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Taking place at a defining moment in the evolution of artificial intelligence, the event will host over 6,800 tech enterprises, 2,000 startups, 40 unicorns, and 1,200 investors with a combined US$1.1 trillion in assets under management — setting the stage for transformative discussions on AI, geopolitics, digital economies, and nation-scale intelligence.

This year, GITEX GLOBAL explores a new paradigm shift — the rise of AI-native societies — where computing power, data readiness, governance frameworks, and institutional strategies come together to build intelligent nations and digitally empowered economies.

One of the most anticipated moments at GITEX GLOBAL 2025 will be the virtual appearance of Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, in his first-ever GITEX session. Altman will join Peng Xiao, Group CEO of UAE-based tech group G42, in a headline discussion titled “From Early Adoption to AI-Native Societies: Envisioning the Next Era of Intelligence.”

The session brings together two of the most influential voices shaping global AI trajectories. Together, they will explore how nations can move beyond experimental AI applications to full-scale, system-wide integration — laying the foundation for societies where AI is embedded into governance, economy, infrastructure, and everyday life.

The GITEX & G42 AI-Native Societies Programme will provide a deep dive into the architecture and partnerships underpinning this new era. A central focus will be the UAE-US 5GW AI Campus, the largest AI infrastructure project outside of the United States.

Leaders from Core42, the US-UAE Business Council, G42, Microsoft, OpenAI, Cisco, Oracle, Cerebras, and Khazna Data Centres will convene to share the vision and strategy behind scaling AI infrastructure to nation-wide levels.

A special focus will also be placed on real-world deployments, including case studies from TAMM – Department of Government Enablement (Government of Abu Dhabi), Presight, Inception, AIQ, and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI). These organisations will showcase how AI is being operationalised across public services, education, and strategic industries — from automating services to enhancing predictive governance and national competitiveness.

GITEX GLOBAL 2025 will serve as a geopolitical forum, with ministers, digital policymakers, CEOs, and tech visionaries from over 180 countries participating in high-level summits. The agenda explores how AI can help nations safeguard against economic volatility, strengthen sovereignty, and position themselves as global leaders in the digital economy.

Key highlights include:

- Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, will address Europe’s push to turn its deep-tech prowess into strategic economic influence.

- H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, will speak on the role of AI in shaping the future of economic policy and diversification.

- H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of AI, and Hon. Evan Solomon, Canada’s inaugural Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, will lead a dialogue on navigating the “intelligence super-cycle” — a period of exponential growth in AI capabilities and adoption.

A major panel on AI investment geopolitics will feature Victor Gao, Chairman of The China Energy Security Institute, alongside Dr. Jörg Goschin, CEO of Germany’s KfW Capital, to explore how nations are using capital as a tool of technological power in the AI arms race.

Furthering this discussion, Naima Al Falasi, SVP of AI Strategy & Transformation at Mubadala, will provide insights into how the UAE is embedding AI and ML across strategic sectors via its $302 billion sovereign wealth fund.

In response to a 2025 McKinsey report revealing that 92% of global enterprises are accelerating AI investments, GITEX will host a range of sessions focused on industrial transformation, enterprise AI, and emerging tech.

- Peter Koerte, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer at Siemens, will present strategies on turning industrial AI complexity into competitive advantage.

- Zulfi Alam, Corporate VP for Quantum at Microsoft, will highlight the growing need for a quantum-ready workforce