Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 114 | Page 10

NEWS

49 % UAE enterprises expect returns on AI investments within next one to two years finds SAP

in using AI-driven insights to guide critical business decisions, and with 72 % describing themselves as very confident in doing so.
( Left to right) Himanshu Shrivastava, Marwan Zeineddine, and BS Shetty

As AI adoption accelerates across the

UAE, business leaders are banking on its potential to drive long-term growth. A new YouGov survey commissioned by SAP reveals that 94 % of enterprises in the country believe AI will be a key driver of business expansion, with nearly half, 49 % expecting significant returns on AI investments within the next one to two years.
“ AI is already delivering tangible business value, and the UAE market is clearly ready to embrace its potential,” said Marwan
Zeineddine, Managing Director of SAP UAE.“ The SAP survey shows that businesses recognise AI as a key driver of growth, but unlocking its full value requires the right strategies. The SAP NOW AI Tour was designed to help organisations navigate this journey, providing the insights and tools they need to leverage the full power of AI to meet their specific needs.”
The SAP survey findings reflect this momentum, with 97 % of the UAE IT decisionmakers surveyed expressing confidence
BS Shetty, General Manager of AGIS, said,“ By deploying RISE with SAP Private Cloud edition alongside a tailored SAP Business Technology Platform, BTP solution, we have harnessed the power of AI to automate over 400 calculations, cutting operator time from 20 minutes to just three.”
Al-Futtaim Group’ s Chief Technology Officer, Himanshu Shrivastava, said,“ At Al-Futtaim, we are committed to adopting technologies that enable our people to work more effectively and deliver exceptional employee experience.”
The survey shows that 58 % of UAE enterprises plan to invest in data consolidation and quality improvement programmes over the next 12 months.

AWS and Manara collaborate to train 2,500 MENA software engineers on cloud skills

Amazon Web Services announced collaboration with Manara, the social impact startup dedicated to unlocking the untapped potential of top technology talent in the Middle East and North Africa, MENA, including women in the Saudi Arabia and the United

Arab Emirates. Together, they are launching an ambitious initiative aimed at training 2,500 software engineers across the region on cloud skills with an investment of $ 3.6M over two years by AWS.
With a shared commitment to fostering innovation and driving social change at scale, AWS and Manara are teaming up to upskill the top software engineers, data scientists, and AI engineers in this region with cloud and AI skills. Both companies believe this region is poised to become a major technology hub in the coming decade. AWS also recently announced a $ 5.3 billion investment in the Saudi Arabia.
The joint initiative will focus on providing 2,500 software engineers with training in cloud computing and AWS services to equip them with the skills needed to thrive in today’ s technology-driven economy. The training will be delivered through Manara’ s proprietary education technology platform. Engineers will receive AWS Certifications and pathways to meaningful employment opportunities.
Enterprise companies in the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and North America will be able to access the trained and qualified engineers via Manara’ s hiring services. Interested talent and companies can sign up at www. manara. technology. For years, Manara has been partnering with Fortune 500 companies to build a pipeline of computer scientists in this region.
“ The Middle East is poised to become the next frontier for technology talent, and Manara is at the forefront of this movement,” said Iliana Montauk, Founder and CEO of Manara.
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