Mohamed Zouari, General Manager for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa at Snowflake, says Snowflake wants to help companies harness the full potential of data while making enterprise AI trusted, safe, and easy to use
Tell us about your participation in GITEX 2024. Which products and solutions will you showcase at the event?
Snowflake will showcase its latest innovations in generative AI and its platform. The team will be unveiling advancements such as Native Apps, Cortex, and Snowflake gen AI & LLM features, which are designed to revolutionize data utilization for strategic advantage. Snowflake’s booth (H8-B30) will feature live demos, presentations, and success stories from key partners, showcasing how the platform empowers businesses to enhance operational efficiencies and unlock growth opportunities with AI-driven insights.
How has the regional tech landscape evolved in the past couple of years?
In the past few years, the regional tech landscape has substantially transformed, particularly with a significant increase in AI investments. In 2023, despite economic fluctuations, the global AI market saw a sevenfold rise in investments. The UAE Strategy 2031, is transforming the country’s digital transformation and propelling the integration of advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, and cloud-native solutions across various sectors, including retail, healthcare, and logistics.
Additionally, the IT spending outlook remains strong and is projected to reach $1.6 trillion in 2024 according to Statista, underscoring the ongoing investment in technology infrastructure and services. Snowflake has been at the forefront of these developments, enabling organisations to leverage advanced data solutions to enhance customer engagement, optimize operations, and drive innovation.
What are your expectations from the event this year?
Snowflake aims to demonstrate how its AI Data Cloud can help businesses in the UAE and the broader region harness the full potential of data while making enterprise AI trusted, safe, and easy to use. As AI advances at an unprecedented pace, Snowflake is committed to enabling organizations to leverage AI securely, with robust governance frameworks that protect privacy, mitigate bias, and ensure transparency. At GITEX, Snowflake will showcase the significant advancements made in AI-driven functionality, highlighting how the platform enables secure AI/ML workloads on enterprise data while revolutionizing the developer and administrative experience with AI-powered tools.
The Snowflake team is eager to engage in collaborative discussions with industry leaders, potential clients, and partners. These interactions will provide invaluable insights into how our platform helps businesses achieve unparalleled data governance, seamlessly access first- and third-party AI models, and leverage a self-managing, elastic infrastructure that scales according to their needs. Our approach underscores the importance of fostering responsible AI innovation that enhances decision-making while prioritizing safety, security, and transparency.
What will be your theme of participation at GITEX 2024?
The theme for GITEX 2024, “Empowering the Future with Data and AI in the UAE,” highlights Snowflake’s commitment to supporting the UAE’s vision of becoming a global AI and data innovation hub. We aim to demonstrate how Snowflake’s platform empowers businesses to seamlessly integrate AI into their operations while ensuring robust data governance and security. By delivering a simplified, AI-driven user experience, we remove complexity, enabling customers to confidently harness AI’s potential and make data-driven decisions that drive success.
Do you plan to run any online engagements such as webinars and offline engagements such as tech talks, demos, keynotes, and so on, alongside GITEX 2024?
Snowflake will host a range of offline engagements, including tech talks, thought leadership keynotes, and one-on-one meetings with technical experts. Visitors will also have the chance to experience live demos of our latest AI-driven solutions. These sessions will provide deep insights into how Snowflake’s platform addresses current trends and challenges in cloud-based data management. Mohamed Zouari, General Manager – Middle East, Turkey and Africa will also deliver a keynote speech on unlocking the power of data for organizations.
How have your regional strategies changed in recent months?
Snowflake’s regional strategies have evolved to focus more on AI-driven innovation and strategic partnerships that align with the UAE’s digital transformation initiatives. We are focused on empowering industries like retail, healthcare, and logistics through advanced AI and machine learning capabilities to help them meet the rapidly changing demands of their sectors.
Additionally, our recent certification from the Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) enhances our ability to serve government and semi-government organizations by providing secure, compliant data solutions. This certification ensures compliance with stringent cybersecurity standards, enabling us to support the UAE’s digital transformation initiatives more robustly.
How do your regional strategies align with regional development initiatives run by various governments?
Snowflake’s strategies are closely aligned with the UAE’s ‘We the UAE 2031’ initiative, KSA Vision 2030 and other regional digital transformation goals. Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud plays a pivotal role in helping organizations eliminate data silos and mobilize their data for critical insights. We are committed to offering businesses in the region a unified data experience that fosters better decision-making while ensuring compliance with local and international data governance standards. This vision is supported by advancements like Snowflake Cortex AI, enabling seamless integration of AI and machine learning into daily operations.
Our focus on robust security and governance ensures that businesses can confidently leverage AI without compromising data integrity. With features such as role-based access definitions, we provide consistent protection across data, models, and applications. Key partnerships with Mistral AI and NVIDIA further expand our AI capabilities, allowing enterprises in the UAE to deploy use-case-specific AI solutions. Through this, we continue to support the UAE’s vision of becoming a global hub for AI-driven innovation.
