Gitex 2024: Du's new AgriTech service seeks to sow success in untapped AI fields

Dubai telecom services provider du is ready to offer a high-tech farm system fully supported by artificial intelligence, as it seeks to address the needs of underserved industries ready for AI applications, its senior executives have said.

The company, formally known as Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, is showing off its latest AI-powered services at the Gitex Global technology conference in Dubai this week after last week's launch of two sub-brands, du Tech and du Infra.

One of its new offerings is an agricultural technology set-up supported by robotics and automated systems, which will be available after Gitex, Jasim Al Awadi, du's chief information and communications technology officer, told The National on Tuesday.

“If you look at farming and AgriTech, they are among the sectors that are untapped especially in UAE, because we don't have the right ecosystem for it,” he said in an interview.

“But now the government is pushing hard for this and today [we are] being early adopters in this field … [the agritech system] can be bought after Gitex and can be immediately implemented in farms with a full ecosystem and monitoring robots that can support farmers.”

Du has already been involved in AgriTech. In May, the company announced a partnership with Abu Dhabi-based Gracia Group for a full-fledged digital agritech system “poised to transform the agricultural sector in the UAE”.

Advanced technologies as such are vital in addressing critical issues such as food security, a “top priority” of the UAE government wherein “technology plays a major role, especially if you are in a country where you have limited resources when it comes to water and proper soil. Bringing the technology will enable this sector a lot”, Mr Al Awadi said.

Du is also demonstrating its new services in smart architecture, smart warehousing, a next-generation sustainable data centre and a prototype of a driverless Formula One car used in the inaugural Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League in April, where du was a major partner.

“There is a huge transformation happening [and] we have only started to see the tip of the mountain for AI adoption, and what it can do to transform – and we are sitting right in the middle of all of this,” Fahad Al Hassawi, chief executive of du, told The National.

The introduction of the sub-brands, joining du Business and du Pay, will allow the company to dedicate more resources to their respective business segments and is the next step in the company's transformation and expansion, Mr Al Hassawi had said.

The realignment will also set up du as a “stronger player in the market”, as telecom services providers become more agile, keeping pace with the rapid pace of digital transformation and offering branched-out services to help enterprises and consumers at every phase of communications.

Meanwhile, generative AI, which burst into the scene last year with OpenAI's ChatGPT, continues to underpin advancements in the telecoms sector. Harnessing its full potential will depend on how and where it is used.

In du's case, network efficiency and customer care are among those that benefit the most, Mr Al Hassawi said.

AI and machine learning algorithms can analyse network data patterns, detect problems, then make adjustments using optimisation.

“How do we identify issues in service or products before the customer can even notice the issue? The issue is being highlighted and fixed before the customer even acts on this,” Mr Al Hassawi said.

AI is also effective in complementing measures to counter cyber threats – especially moving forward as industries in general face growing and sophisticated threats from cyber attackers – which paves the way for a more progressive telecom sector, he said.

“We have a very positive outlook. This is the one of the best times to be a telco, especially in a market like the UAE, doing things differently,” Mr Al Hassawi added.