Hitachi Vantara roundtable highlights importance of resilient AI infrastructure
The event brought together industry leaders and technology experts to explore evolving trends in AI infrastructure, hybrid cloud strategies, cyber resilience, and ethical AI. Moderated by Rehan Shahid, Regional Channel & Alliances Manager – Middle East & Pakistan at Hitachi Vantara, the session facilitated open dialogue among participants from public and private sector entities including ministries, financial services, and multinational organisations.
The roundtable session had participants that contained IT personnel from the Ministry of Finance, a number of prominent Saudi holding companies, and entities operating in the FinTech and consulting space across the Kingdom.
Key Highlights:
1. Defining Cyber Resilience
The session began with a discussion on cyber resilience versus cybersecurity. Rehan emphasised that resilience is the ability of an organisation to recover from disruptions such as ransomware attacks—resuming operations swiftly post-incident.
'Cybersecurity is about prevention, while cyber resilience ensures recovery', said Rehan.
The group acknowledged regulatory frameworks such as the EU's DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and similar emerging standards in the Middle East.
2. Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Strategies
The discussion highlighted the shift from a public-cloud-only narrative to hybrid cloud adoption. According to Rehan, only 17-18% of workloads reside on public cloud, while the majority are managed through hybrid or private cloud setups. This was echoed by the Ministry of Finance, which is actively transitioning to certified cloud providers under regulatory supervision.
3. AI Readiness and Data Strategy
Participants agreed that AI is a key driver of enterprise transformation. However, its success depends heavily on data quality and readiness.
A fintech CTO shared concerns about over-reliance on AI: 'AI is powerful, but it's not universally applicable. Data integrity and contextual ROI are critical'.
Rehan emphasised that AI must be validated with clean, structured data to avoid 'garbage-in, garbage-out' outcomes. He introduced the concept of 'agentic AI'—AI capable of making autonomous decisions—and noted that Hitachi has already implemented such use cases internally.
4. AI Investment Across the Middle East
The region is witnessing unprecedented AI investment. Examples included:
Saudi Arabia's $5B AI data centre project in NEOM.
UAE's goal of becoming the first AI-native government by 2027.
Abu Dhabi's $500M Stargate Project and planned €50B investment in AI data infrastructure in France.
Al Patel, Head Of Distribution Sales & Technical Alliances EMEA And Channel Sales Director MEA, Hitachi Vantara, noted, 'Analysts predicted $15B in UAE AI investment by 2026. But we're already there. The market is outpacing predictions'.
5. Ethical AI and Governance
The session explored challenges around fairness, accountability, and privacy in enterprise AI.
'No large language model is bias-free', Rehan explained. 'Transparency and trust must be built into AI models, especially in regulated industries'.
6. AI Infrastructure Needs
Hitachi shared insights from a survey of 800 global enterprise customers, including BMW, Citibank, and NASA. Key findings:
Top priorities: Reliability, flexibility, and scalability.
Reliability, flexibility, and scalability. Deployment preference: 78% prefer on-premises infrastructure for performance and control.
78% prefer on-premises infrastructure for performance and control. Technology Shift: GPUs are becoming core to AI workloads; Hitachi predicts CPUs may diminish in relevance in the next decade.
7. Introducing Hitachi IQ
Hitachi Vantara unveiled its AI platform, Hitachi IQ, which integrates:
High-performance storage and compute infrastructure.
Advanced file systems optimised for AI workloads.
A modular, scalable architecture in partnership with NVIDIA and Hitachi Limited.
The AI Discovery Service was also launched to help organisations define, validate, and prototype AI use cases across three phases—Discovery Sprint, Advisory Service, and Jumpstart Proof of Concept (POC).
8. Use Case Development & Data Sovereignty
Participants raised concerns about intellectual property and regulatory compliance, especially regarding POC deployments involving sensitive data. Hitachi assured that IP rights remain with customers and emphasised the importance of data residency in solutions offered in-region.
9. Sustainability and Energy Efficiency
As AI data centres consume increasing energy, sustainability was a pressing concern.
'An AI-powered data centre can consume more electricity than an entire city', Rehan noted.
Hitachi's VSP (Virtual Storage Platform) was presented as the industry's most energy-efficient system, with four of the top five Energy Star ratings globally. Their upcoming VSP 360 aims to unify data storage management across SAN, NAS, object, and cloud environments.
10. Closing Remarks: Future of Agentic AI
The roundtable concluded with a look toward the future. Agentic AI—capable of autonomous decision-making—is set to redefine enterprise roles, transforming IT departments into stewards of digital agents.
'Soon, IT will function like HR—provisioning, nurturing, and managing AI agents', Rehan predicted.
The session reaffirmed Hitachi Vantara's commitment to enabling data-driven innovation through trusted infrastructure, ethical AI solutions, and industry-specific expertise. As AI adoption accelerates in the region, organisations must strike a balance between innovation, operational readiness, and sustainable growth.
For further engagement, participants were invited to collaborate with Hitachi's local teams or explore proof-of-concept labs available in the Netherlands and the Middle East.
Image Credit: Hitachi Vantara
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Business
14 minutes ago
- Gulf Business
Foreign investors alert: Saudi approves digital IDs for property ownership
Image credit: Getty Images In a groundbreaking move to open up its real estate sector, Saudi Arabia's Cabinet has approved the use of digital identification for non-resident, non-Saudi foreigners to own property in the country. The decision comes as part of broader efforts to implement the non-Saudi Real Estate Ownership Law, which will come into effect in January 2026, Read- To support the rollout, the General Real Estate Authority will work with the Governance overhaul and committee formation The cabinet also backed governance measures proposed by the Strategic Committee of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, which include forming a specialised committee within the Real Estate Authority to oversee non-Saudi ownership and usufruct rights. Additionally, the board of the General Real Estate Authority has been restructured, now chaired by its CEO and composed of representatives from various ministries, government entities, and three members from the private sector. Key requirements for foreign buyers In July, the Cabinet formally approved the non-Saudi Real Estate Ownership Law. Just last month, draft executive regulations were published, laying out the conditions for non-resident ownership. To qualify, foreign buyers must activate a digital ID via the Absher platform, open a Saudi bank account, and obtain a local contact number, setting the stage for a more accessible property market for global investors.
Khaleej Times
14 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE insurers continue to recover from 2024 rains, post 52% jump in H1 2025 profits
The UAE insurance industry continued its recovery path after the stress scenario of the unprecedented April 2024 rains, as insurers' net profit jumped 54 per cent to Dh2 billion in the first half of 2025, according to Badri Management Consultancy. The increase in profitability was supported by sustained premium rate increases and improved risk‐based pricing. Industry insurance revenue grew by 19 per cent, reaching Dh24.2 billion in the first half of 2025, compared to Dh20.3 billion in the same period last year. This reflects the continuation of favourable underwriting conditions across major business lines, particularly motor and medical. In April last year, unprecedented rains caused huge losses to UAE insurance companies in terms of motor and property damage. It is estimated that the losses ran into billions of dirhams. To cope with this challenge, insurers increased premiums to offset the losses. According to Badri, the leading five companies continued to consolidate their positions, accounting for Dh1.3 billion of the overall insurance service result — up 31 per cent from the prior year. This increasing concentration underlines the growing importance of scale and operational efficiency in the UAE market. Hatim Maskawala, managing director of Badri Management Consultancy, said there has been pressure on insurance companies for not meeting solvency requirements, as some companies recently announced increases in capital. 'Looking ahead, gradual rate improvements coupled with the Central Bank of the UAE's enhanced market oversight are expected to continue supporting technical margins and discouraging underpriced policies. However, insurers need to remain cautious of potential rises in reinsurance costs and deferred impacts of treaty renewals. With a greater proportion of profitability stemming from insurance services, the industry's long-term sustainability will increasingly depend on maintaining underwriting discipline and strengthening claims management practices,' added Maskawala. Some of the insurance companies that reported losses in their net insurance results managed to mitigate the impact through investment income. In total, six out of 26 companies reported negative insurance results. Of these, five still generated a net profit. Union Insurance Company announced a 76 per cent increase in net profit for the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, reaching Dh22.7 million, driven by excellent underwriting results, cost efficiencies, and an increase in investment revenue. Net underwriting results also increased by 93 per cent, reaching Dh11.07 million in H1 2025 compared to Dh5.7 million in the first half of 2024. The company's solvency reached 170 per cent in H1 2025, compared to 143 per cent reported for the year 2024 — exceeding regulatory requirements. Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company (Adnic) reported a net profit before tax of Dh261.2 million, an increase of 16.5 per cent year-on-year, driven by solid contributions across all core segments. It recorded gross written premiums of Dh5.539 billion, marking a 25.7 per cent year-on-year increase. Charalampos Mylonas, CEO of Adnic, attributed the strong results to disciplined cost management and forward-looking innovation initiatives, enabling the firm to adapt to evolving market conditions and seize new opportunities. The Dubai-listed Takaful provider Salama posted a net profit of Dh8.25 million during January–June 2025, driven by Dh7.86 million profit in Q2 2025 — a substantial increase from Dh2.95 million in Q2 2024. Takaful revenue was recorded at Dh515.36 million in the first six months of 2025, compared to Dh528.59 million in the same period of 2024.
Crypto Insight
2 hours ago
- Crypto Insight
Crypto to become UAE's second-biggest sector in 5 years — Institutional investor
The crypto sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is on track to become its second-largest industry in the next five years, due to the country's regulatory policies and attractive business environment, according to Chase Ergen, a board member of publicly traded digital asset investment firm DeFi Technologies. 'They have a reputation for leadership, legislation, and community,' Ergen told Cointelegraph in an interview. He also predicted: 'They sell oil, that's their main business. I think their second-biggest business is going to be the blockchain industry in the next five years. This will start to be double-digit parts of the economy.' The country has a clear crypto regulatory framework, a community of key crypto industry executives, a debt-free economy that allows the government to funnel surplus into tech investments, low crime, attractive tax policies, and forward-thinking leadership, Ergen added. The UAE has created a moat that has made it the undisputed hub for crypto and tech in the Middle East and Africa (MENA) amid growing nation-state adoption of crypto and the race between sovereign powers to become global leaders in the digital finance age. Nation-state crypto adoption ramps up in 2025 Nation-state crypto adoption accelerated in 2025, following the inauguration of president Donald Trump in the United States and the regulatory shift that followed. The Trump White House released its long-promised crypto report in July, outlining the administration's plan to make the US the global leader in crypto. Pakistan's government reversed its long-held opposition to cryptocurrencies in November 2024, one day before the US presidential election. Since that time, Pakistan has established a national Bitcoin reserve and appointed a national crypto council to craft a comprehensive digital asset regulatory framework within the country. Sovereign wealth funds, including the UAE's Mubadala and Norway's sovereign fund, have exposure to Bitcoin through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other investment vehicles. Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the largest state-directed investment fund of its kind in the world, increased its Bitcoin exposure by 192% over the last year, according to crypto research firm K33. Source:
