City of Astana partners with Presight for AI-powered smart city project - Middle East Business News and Information
· Kazakhstani companies will be responsible for 60% of the total project scope, which will be managed, implemented and resourced with a local Kazakhstan-based workforce.
· The Astana smart city project follows other Presight projects with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Digital Development, Samruk-Kazyna and Astana Hub.
· Presight expands its Astana office as it grows presence in Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asia region.
Astana, Kazakhstan – February, 2025 – Presight, a leading global big data analytics and applied intelligence company, has signed a USD $190 million, six-year agreement with the Akimat (municipal government) of the City of Astana to deploy an AI-powered smart city project to digitize urban infrastructure, enhance traffic management, and modernize public services.
The Astana smart city project will deliver community-wide benefits from reduced traffic and congestion to faster emergency response times. The AI-powered nation-building project is designed to enhance Astana's liveability, sustainability, citizen services, and digital transformation agenda. It will see the introduction of sensors and IoT-enabled infrastructure to create a digital twin of the city, which will improve liveability, safety and community wellbeing.
Kazakhstani companies will be responsible for 60 percent of the total project scope of the smart city project, ensuring that jobs, in-country value creation and investment remains in Kazakhstan.
The smart city project closely follows other major announcements for Presight in Kazakhstan. In 2024, the Kazakhstan Ministry of Digital Development, in collaboration with Samruk-Kazyna, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Kazakhstan, appointed Presight to develop a state-of-the-art AI supercomputer and data center cluster to enable the country's digital transformation initiatives.
In 2023, Presight also partnered with Astana Hub, the largest international technology park for IT startups in Central Asia, to power venture financing deals for startups.
To complement the Astana smart city project and Presight's other nation-building initiatives in Kazakhstan, Presight today also announced the expansion of its Astana office to better service in-country projects as it grows operations in Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asia region.
Thomas Pramotedham, Chief Executive Officer of Presight, commented:
'We congratulate the City of Astana for being a global leader in the adoption of world-leading AI for smart city applications. The Astana smart city project aims to develop an ecosystem powered by AI-driven video analytics, enhancing urban management, traffic optimization, and public safety. By integrating advanced monitoring infrastructure and intelligent vision systems, the initiative will provide real-time insights to improve city operations and situational awareness.
'A key component includes AI-powered traffic management solutions designed to enhance road safety and streamline mobility. Additionally, existing visual data sources will be unified into a real-time digital twin of the city, enabling predictive analytics and faster response times to incidents. This initiative underscores a commitment to leverage AI and data-driven solutions for more efficient, secure, and sustainable urban development.'
Through the responsible and ethical implementation of AI-driven solutions, citizens of Astana will experience improved public services, digitized infrastructure, enhanced healthcare access, and safer, more efficient urban environments .
Presight is committed to developing AI solutions that enhance communities while upholding privacy and security. This project aligns with the City of Astana's digital transformation goals and ensures AI is used ethically and transparently to deliver tangible benefits to citizens .
About Presight:
Presight is an ADX-listed public company with Abu Dhabi based G42 as its majority shareholder and is the region's leading big data analytics company powered by GenAI. It combines big data, analytics, and AI expertise to serve every sector, of every scale, to create business and positive societal impact. Presight excels at all-source data interpretation to support insight-driven decision-making that shapes policy and creates safer, healthier, happier, and more sustainable societies. Today, through its range of GenAI-driven products and solutions, Presight is bringing Applied AI to the private and public sector, enabling them to realize their AI strategy and ambitions faster.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
See - Sada Elbalad
an hour ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
NASA, Google Create AI Doctor for Space
Israa Farhan NASA and Google are jointly testing a new artificial intelligence-powered medical assistant designed to support astronauts during long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. According to the project aims to help astronauts diagnose and treat medical issues in deep space, where immediate consultations with Earth-based doctors are impossible and returning home is not an option. As part of its Artemis program, NASA is working with Google to trial a prototype called the Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant (CMODI). The AI-driven system is designed to analyze symptoms, previous diagnoses, and test results before suggesting possible treatments or diagnostic options. The technology would give astronauts the ability to independently manage health challenges beyond low-Earth orbit, ensuring they can address medical concerns during lunar or Martian expeditions without relying on delayed communications with doctors on Earth. highlighted that this digital health assistant could also prove invaluable on Earth, especially in remote or hard-to-reach regions where medical professionals are scarce. read more UAE's Lunar Mission Delayed to Tomorrow Twitter Lifts Trump's Account Ban Scientists Find Evidence Of 10،000 Black Holes Surrounding The Center Of The Milky Way Galaxy Greenhouse In Antarctica Able To Grow Vegetables Without Soil Or Sunlight Moving Over China: U.S. Is Again Home to World's Speediest Supercomputer Technology The 10 most expensive cars in the world Technology Top 10 fastest cars in the world Technology Lasers Could Make Computers 1 Million Times Faster Technology Smart technology taking control of our lives Videos & Features Story behind Trending Jessica Radcliffe Death Video News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt News The Jessica Radcliffe Orca Attack? 100% Fake and AI-Generated
CairoScene
14 hours ago
- CairoScene
How Tamashee Turns Sandal-Making Into Cultural Journeys
How Tamashee Turns Sandal-Making Into Cultural Journeys It started with a sandal. The founders of Gulf-based design studio Tamashee, Muneera Al Tamimi and Mohammed Kazim, took that everyday object apart — tracing materials to their sources, following old trade routes, and reviving craft techniques that had slipped from view — to see what a Gulf sandal could still mean today. Curiosity about how things were made soon became a method: research first, then design shaped by what the fieldwork revealed. That method now shows across three connected strands: Tamashee Products, Tamashee Soul, and Tamashee Experience. The studio turns field notes into objects, runs a research arm that records oral histories and endangered crafts, and runs guided cultural trips that put participants in direct contact with the places and people behind the work. The streams move into one another: products are sourced from research, research is tested in the field, and trips bring the whole cycle to life. On the product side, the work reads like design with an archive in its pocket. Collections translate regional patterns, colors and shapes into pieces that aim for high quality at accessible price points; turquoise tones that recur in historic Gulf dress reappear in modern silhouettes, ring motifs from traditional footwear surface in detailing, and references to the Hijri calendar crop up as structural or decorative elements. Those choices are traceable to Tamashee's field studies — they're not surface decoration but part of how the pieces are conceived. Tamashee Soul is where that fieldwork lives. Since 2012 the team has been cataloguing techniques, recording storytellers, and assembling material that otherwise has few formal records. That work feeds workshops, talks and documentaries, and shapes a program of collaborations that spans painters, photographers, sculptors, graffiti artists and musicians from across the GCC. Community projects and curated events grow from the same research: the studio documents a craft, then finds ways to show it, teach it or sustain the people who keep it alive. The culture tours are where Tamashee's research becomes immediate. The studio runs both public departures and private, customizable trips that visit heritage towns, archaeological sites and coastal communities across the Arabian Peninsula — itineraries have included AlUla, Asir, Al Jawf, Tabuk, northern Najd, parts of Oman and the northern Emirates. Days are laid out like field guides: visits to local workshops, demonstrations of traditional techniques, small performances or festival visits when schedules allow, and shared meals where recipes and techniques are as much part of the program as the landscape. These are framed as research-led departures, with clear booking options and group-size limits that keep the trips intimate and practical. What makes the tours useful to the studio is their feedback loop: an embroidery pattern noted in a village becomes a motif in a collection; a recorded interview might form the backbone of a short film shown at a workshop. That interchange keeps the work practical — objects you can wear or use — while anchoring them in stories and people rather than in vague heritage language. Tamashee lays its values across everything it does: preserving identity through primary research, representing culture by reshaping traditional forms for contemporary life, and creating avenues for regional makers and emerging creatives to reach a wider audience. The result is a practice that treats heritage as something active and adaptable.
El Fagr
2 days ago
- El Fagr
EFG Holding Preserves Growth Momentum، Demonstrating Resilient Performance in the Second Quarter Results of 2025
EFG Holding، a financial institution with a universal bank in Egypt and the leading investment bank in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)، announced today its results for the second quarter of 2025. The Group's revenues recorded a 21% Y-o-Y increase to reach EGP 6.1 billion، driven by strong results across all business lines، particularly EFG Finance، its non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) platform، and Bank NXT، its commercial bank. The Group's total operating expenses (including provisions & ECL) increased 22% Y-o-Y to EGP 4.1 billion، on higher provisions & ECL، predominantly in EFG Finance، and higher other G&A expenses. Meanwhile، employee expenses were flat Y-o-Y. With the increase in revenues surpassing the increase in expenses، EFG Holding's net operating profit and net profit before taxes increased 19% Y-o-Y and 21% Y-o-Y، respectively. Consequently، net profit after tax and minority interest inched up 2% Y-o-Y to reach EGP 802 million in 2Q25. Karim Awad، Group CEO of EFG Holding، commented، 'Our second quarter results demonstrate the continued resilience and strength with which EFG Holding operates، supported by its diversified platform and strong geographic footprint. EFG Holding's first half of 2025 has been defined by meaningful milestones and strong momentum. Foremost among these is Valu's listing on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) in June، complemented by Amazon's decision to exercise its Option Agreement with EFG Holding to acquire a direct stake in Valu. The period's financial results highlight the standout performance of EFG Finance، driven by Valu and Bank NXT. Our Asset Management platform continues to expand، with assets under management growing، while the Investment Banking division closed transactions totaling more than USD 1 billion in the quarter. EFG Hermes، the investment bank، maintained its resilient performance for the second quarter of the year، with Holding & Treasury Activities، Brokerage، and the Buy Side revenues collectively rising 131% Y-o-Y. Although the Investment Banking business continues to demonstrate solid performance this quarter، Y-o-Y revenues appear lower due to an exceptionally high base in the comparative period. Excluding this high base effect، the underlying performance of the advisory business remains robust and promising. Thus، EFG Hermes' operating revenues came flat Y-o-Y at EGP 2.7 billion. Holding & Treasury Activities recorded a strong rebound، generating EGP 397 million in revenues versus a loss of EGP 503 million in 2Q24. Brokerage revenues rose 25% Y-o-Y، driven by higher revenues generated particularly by Egypt، followed by Kuwait and the UAE markets. EFG Hermes operating expenses (including provisions & ECL) inched up 3% Y-o-Y to EGP 2.2 billion، on higher other G&A expenses، higher provisions & ECL، and despite lower employee expenses. EFG Hermes reported net profit after tax and minority interest of EGP 268 million، down 11% Y-o-Y، on lower profitability generated by the Investment Banking division. EFG Finance، the Group's Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFI) platform، continued to deliver strong results in 2Q25، with its revenues surging 66% Y-o-Y to EGP 1.8 billion، supported by broad-based growth across all lines of business. Valu led the performance with a 71% Y-o-Y increase in revenues، driven by substantial securitization gains and higher net fees & commissions amid a rise in loan issuances، followed by Tanmeyah and Corp-Solutions، which continued its upward trajectory with Leasing's portfolio reaching EGP 17.7 billion in 1H25، increasing 102% Y-o-Y، fueled by targeted efforts to onboard large creditworthy clients. Valu issued EGP 4.7 billion worth of new loans in 2Q25، up 60% Y-o-Y. EFG Finance's operating expenses rose 82% Y-o-Y to EGP 1.2 billion، mainly due to inflation-driven G&A costs، higher provisions، increased employee expenses and one-time expenses related to Valu's listing. EFG Finance's net operating profit and net profit before taxes rose 39% Y-o-Y and 37% Y-o-Y، respectively، in 2Q25. However، net profit after tax and minority interest declined 15% Y-o-Y to EGP 230 million، due to higher minority interest charges following the distribution of Valu shares to EFG Holding's shareholders and the decline in EFG Holding's ownership from 95% to 67%. Bank NXT، the commercial bank، delivered a strong performance، delivering 30% Y-o-Y revenue growth to reach EGP 1.6 billion in 2Q25. This was primarily driven by higher net interest income، in addition to an increase in interest-earning assets. Operating expenses، including provisions & ECL، rose 23% Y-o-Y to EGP 694 million in 2Q25، primarily due to higher salaries، as well as higher other G&A expenses، which were offset by a 27% decline in provisions and ECL. The Bank's net profit after tax and minority interest added 39% Y-o-Y to reach EGP 304 million in 2Q25، as revenue growth outpaced the growth in expenses. 'Amid ongoing geopolitical volatility and persistent macroeconomic headwinds، market dynamics across the MENA region remained varied، both in terms of liquidity and overall performance. Nonetheless، the Brokerage business delivered notable growth in total executions، driven primarily by robust activity in Kuwait and the UAE. Bank NXT continued to broaden its portfolio، diligently cultivating a strong base that will underpin future growth and generate lasting value. Anchored by a solid foundation، the firm is well-positioned to adeptly navigate changing market conditions and confidently capitalize on emerging opportunities for the benefit of clients and shareholders alike،' concluded Awad.
