In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, du’s Chief ICT Officer, Jasim Al Awadi, discussed how du is leveraging cutting-edge technologies and implementing strategies to enhance infrastructures, advance data centers, and enable innovative services.
How is du leveraging innovative technologies, such as AI and IoT, to improve its offerings?
At du, we always embrace the latest technologies, having been one of the first to introduce 5G nationwide. When artificial intelligence (AI) was rolled out, we immediately started exploring how we could use it within du and offer it to our clients.
From there, we embarked on a huge journey to internally transform a lot of our processes using AI. We leverage AI in our network optimization and human resources (HR) processes. Very soon, we will roll it out to our call center agents, which is one of du’s biggest AI deployments slated for implementation in next year’s Q1.
In terms of Internet of Things (IoT), we are advancing really well. During GITEX, we claimed that we are leading in Industry 4.0 and robotizing the industry in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We are proud to have a specialized team that delivers fit-for-purpose projects for our prestigious clients. We are offering some of the most complicated and complex projects, all of which were delivered last year and based on IoT and 5G technologies.
What are du’s key priorities in enhancing its cloud infrastructure?
Cloud is one of the biggest areas in digital transformation that most clients are keen to explore moving forward. This is why, at du, we have embraced a multi-hybrid cloud strategy.
This year, we announced our partnership with Oracle to deploy the Oracle Alloy. This is a very unique value proposition, setting us apart as a national hyperscaler. We also have our ICT cloud, which we are offering to our Dubai Pulse clients. We also have the FedNet cloud, which we are offering to federal entities.
Today, our cloud offerings are extremely unique, and we are so happy to have a huge client base in the UAE that we serve with our cloud services.
How is du contributing to the advancement of data centers in the industry, and overall sustainability in the UAE?
Our knowledge and engagement in deploying data centers is not something new; we started this a long time ago, and today, we have a lot of operational megawatts at du, which are serving hyperscalers and clients. With the AI burst and the required liquid cooling technology, the demand for power is enormous.
We are building a lot of data centers, and, very soon, these will be announced to the market. Last week, we announced the progress we’ve achieved through the AIH Hub (AI Hosting Hub), where we are building one of the largest AI clusters in the region, serving as an AI supercluster for one of our biggest clients in that space.
More from Al Awadi:
Redefining Industry Standards with du’s AI-Driven Innovations
du: Cloud Sovereignty Key Enabler for AI Integration
du: A Well-Established 'Digital Trust' Partner
