UAE firms urged to invest in technology in digital era

Businesses across the UAE must invest in technologies in order to stay ahead of the digital curve, according to Maria Pace…reports Asian Lite News

With the current global circumstances accelerating the need for immersive tools such as augmented reality and virtual reality, businesses across the UAE must invest in technologies in order to stay ahead of the digital curve, according to Maria Pace, Technology Leader in Mixed Reality at Microsoft HoloLens.

She was speaking at the ‘Immersive Technologies: Unlocking a Mixed Reality’ panel discussion on the first day of the fourth edition of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (#GMIS2021) at Expo 2020’s Dubai Exhibition Centre.

Addressing a crowd comprising business leaders from the technology and industrial manufacturing sectors, Pace said: “As the world becomes increasingly digitalised, immersive technology needs to be rapidly integrated into all platforms. By developing pioneering innovations, mixed reality can continue to cater to the need for businesses to strengthen operations worldwide.”

She added that collaboration and investment were key to empowering businesses through the transition that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another.

“We have clear examples how technologies have been beneficial for many sectors for safety and remote access. Investment will be key to enabling a breakthrough for the industry, and at Microsoft, we believe it is important to conduct a good assessment for businesses. Sometimes it does takes a whole restructuring to push companies in the right direction.”

Maria Pace works with a team in San Francisco, US, to innovate and address technical challenges to push the barriers and unlock solutions for the next generation of mixed reality devices.

Under the theme ‘Rewiring Societies: Repurposing Digitalisation for Prosperity’, the first day of #GMIS2021 jump-started with great success, bringing together key global leaders from government, business, and civil society to discuss how data and connectivity are shaping the future of the manufacturing sector.

Co-chaired by the UAE Ministry of Industry Advanced Technology and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, #GMIS2021 will draw on key global leaders from government, business and civil society to discuss and debate how data and connectivity are shaping the future of the manufacturing sector while presenting opportunities for investments in technology, innovation and industrialisation. The Summit will organise panel discussions, plenary sessions and interactive workshops on topics such as dark factories vs smart factories, Government 5.0, Society 5.0, women in leadership and the UAE’s Operation 300bn strategy, which aims to expand the nation’s industrial sector and accelerate economic diversification over the next decade.

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#GMIS2021 will be held during the six-day GMIS Week from November 22-27 at EXPO’s Dubai Exhibition Centre, featuring over 250 global speakers. The GMIS Week will include a Global Prosperity Conference run by the Mohammed bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity and The Green Chain Conference, an Alternative & Renewable Energy Conference –– on November 24. The GMIS Week will also host country-focused conferences in partnership with the United Kingdom, Australia and Italy on November 24 & 25. Throughout the week, the Summit will run an exhibition to highlight the UAE government’s ‘Make it in the Emirates’ campaign, a first-of-its-kind initiative to encourage local and international investors, developers and innovators to benefit from the facilities and incentives offered by the country’s industrial sector.