Author: Akin Naphtal

Africa Data Centres, a Cassava Technologies business, has teamed up with TechAccess to deploy a Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) solution. DCIM software is used to measure, monitor and manage all of the IT equipment and supporting infrastructure housed within data centres. TechAccess is responsible for the software, hardware, integrations, project management, professional services and other project deliverables that make up the DCIM platform. The DCIM solution includes data centre optimisation software from EkkoSense and an asset management platform from Assetspire. It will be deployed in Africa Data Centres’ two sites in Johannesburg, as well as its facilities in Cape…

Abu Dhabi has announced the development of Falcon LLM, a large language model designed to compete with existing models from OpenAI, DeepMind and Google. The model is still in development for a range of applications including language translation, chatbots, content generation and sentiment analysis. The team at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), a government-backed research hub, has its sights set on OpenAI’s platform and aims to offer the Falcon LLM to government entities, start-ups and the private sector as an alternative to the models from the major tech players. READ ALSO:Samsung Gulf Electronics and etisalat by e& Partner to Enhance…

Samsung Gulf Electronics and etisalat by e& have entered into a partnership to provide customers with a comprehensive ecosystem of wearables, smart gadgets and accessories, as well as digital experiences and cutting-edge solutions. The collaboration will also offer Samsung’s smart watches and Samsung Care+ across all smart devices, as well as the new fitness and wellness platform GoWell. The agreement was signed by Masood M Sharif Mahmood, CEO of etisalat by e& UAE and Doohee Lee, President of Samsung Gulf Electronics. The digital services alliance aims to enhance the customer experience and provide them with the latest innovative products and…

Hundreds of travelers at Hong Kong’s international airport faced delays on Thursday as the check-in system experienced an “abnormality” in its computer network. The Airport Authority shut down registration for check-in at several rows, causing scores of people to wait in queues with their luggage. However, the check-in system has fully resumed normal operation after the computer system was restored and five departure flights experienced delays of less than 30 minutes during the period. One of the airlines most affected was Cathay Pacific Airways, the flagship carrier of the city. The South China Morning Post reported that Cathay did not…

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn has won an order from Apple to manufacture AirPods and plans to construct a factory in India for the wireless earphones, according to two people familiar with the matter. The deal marks Foxconn’s first time as an AirPod supplier and demonstrates its efforts to diversify production beyond China, where the company assembles approximately 70% of all iPhones. AirPods are presently manufactured by several Chinese suppliers. Foxconn will reportedly invest over $200 million in the new India AirPod plant, located in the southern Indian state of Telangana, according to one of the sources, who requested anonymity because…

Microsoft’s search engine Bing has reportedly lifted the waitlist for its new interface powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 technology. While the landing page still displays a “Join the Waitlist” button, users can sign in and access the new Bing interface instantly. However, not all email IDs tested gained instant access. Microsoft, which is a major investor in OpenAI, said it is running various experiments to onboard more users and that the preview period remains ongoing. The company is expected to announce more news related to Bing during its “reinvent productivity with AI” event. READ ALSO:Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture of…

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has received the Global Summit Prize and was ranked first globally in the Digital Environment and Electronic Services category. This new global award is the latest addition to the ministry’s series of achievements. In a statement, Deputy Minister for Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Mansour bin Hilal Al-Mishaiti, said that winning this prize is a result of the unlimited support of the country’s leadership for the ministry’s systems, in line with the objectives of its digital transformation strategy 2030 under the Kingdom vision 2030. READ ALSO:Ooredoo Kuwait…

Ooredoo Kuwait, a leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, has partnered with Huawei to upgrade the FIBRE+ high-speed Internet experience and develop a fibre-optic sensing smart solution. The deal was signed during the recently concluded Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona. Ooredoo Kuwait introduced the first-of-its-kind FIBRE+ solution last year, extending fibre across homes and large areas to build an all-optical base for smart homes and digital enterprises. FIBRE+ provides gigabit Wi-Fi 6 coverage in each room and a brand-new digital experience enabling parallel connections for various digital applications. READ ALSO:Microsoft offers a glimpse of new AI “copilot” for Microsoft 365…

Microsoft has unveiled a new AI “copilot” designed for its Microsoft 365 suite, which includes tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. The AI is currently available for testing to a select group of business customers and is aimed at generating drafts within these applications, thus speeding up content creation and allowing employees to focus on other critical tasks. In a statement, Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, said, “Today marks the next major step in the evolution of how we interact with computing, which will fundamentally change the way we work and unlock a new wave of productivity…

The ITP.net Security Leadership Awards has concluded its first-ever edition, which aimed to celebrate and recognise achievements in the regional IT security landscape. The event was supported by the UAE Cyber Security Council and was held at the Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa in Dubai. The awards recognised individuals and organisations who have displayed leadership and commitment to building a secure digital future through innovation in security. Over 100 nominations were received for the inaugural edition of the ITP.net Security Leadership Awards, indicating the significant cybersecurity innovation taking place in the region. During the ceremony, ITP.net honoured over…