Emirates Global Aluminium, the UAE’s largest industrial company outside the oil and gas sector, has broken ground on its sustainable industrial data centres, paving the way for plans to power its operations with artificial intelligence.
The data centres at its smelters in Al Taweelah in Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali in Dubai will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, help to increase data processing capacity by 2,300 times and cut costs, EGA said in a statement on Thursday.
The buildings, being developed with Dubai-based Scientechnic, will also serve as a key initial point for its ambitions for AI-powered site operations, including fully-autonomous cranes and vehicle operations, it said.
The facilities, which EGA described as the first of their kind for the region, are also expected to be certified as tier-3 data centres by the Uptime Institute, meaning they will not require shutdowns for equipment maintenance or replacement.
They will also streamline the company's operations and align its “commitment to embed sustainability in everything we do”, said Abdulnasser bin Kalban, chief executive of EGA.
“EGA’s bold aspiration to innovate the future of aluminium production is a source of our global competitive advantage and this includes leading our sector in the implementation of Industry 4.0,” he said.
“The construction of EGA’s new on-site data centres is an important milestone in our goal to establish a thriving manufacturing innovation ecosystem in the UAE.”
EGA, one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, also has an alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi and a bauxite mine in Guinea.
It is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company and the Investment Corporation of Dubai.
EGA has continuously boosted its technology infrastructure to enhance operations and leverage the benefits of rapid innovations.
Last year, it signed a partnership with Microsoft, migrating a majority of its server and applications to the global technology major's cloud platform.
“Our new data centres will optimise the resilience and sustainability of EGA's digital manufacturing platform which supports data-heavy artificial intelligence and advanced automation solutions,” chief digital officer Carlo Nizam said.
In November, EGA began construction of the UAE's largest aluminium recycling plant at its Al Taweelah smelter, which has an annual processing capacity of 170,000 tonnes.
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
Top 5 concerns globally:
1. Unemployment
2. Spread of infectious diseases
3. Fiscal crises
4. Cyber attacks
5. Profound social instability
Top 5 concerns in the Mena region
1. Energy price shock
2. Fiscal crises
3. Spread of infectious diseases
4. Unmanageable inflation
5. Cyber attacks
Source: World Economic Foundation
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
