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  2. Notes from GITEX 2025 - Networks that power, protect and scale

Notes from GITEX 2025 - Networks that power, protect and scale

by Ali Emam
24 Oct 2025
GITEX 2025 - Six Nokia colleagues give a thumbs-up on the Nokia booth at GITEX

GITEX 2025 (October 13-17, 2025) once again turned Dubai into a global tech stage—and it also marked the last edition at Dubai World Trade Centre before the show moves to the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City in 2026. This year’s footprint spanned both DWTC and Dubai Harbour, with a week of conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity, quantum, data centers and mission-critical applications.  

Ten years ago, when I was based here, we demoed a live 10 Gbps 5G experience with du at GITEX 2015. Coming back in 2025, the emphasis feels more grounded: building the digital foundations—networks + data centers + security—that make AI and industrial automation real at scale.  

What we showed at Nokia

Our story was consistent: networks do more than connect—they transform industries. At our stand, we focused on high-performance IP/optical transport, private wireless, AI-native networking, quantum-safe security and resilient data-center fabrics built for AI/High-Performance Computing (HPC)—capabilities that underpin mission-critical operations.  

Image 1 - GITEX 2025

Oil & gas — the “future-ready oil plant” hologram 

A highlight for me was our AI holographic demo for oil and gas. This compelling demo illustrates how edge AI, computer vision and sensor fusion enable use cases like flare monitoring or corrosion detection when combined with industrial-grade connectivity and compute. We ran it on the Nokia stand and with partners on the show floor (including du).

A demonstrator from Nokia partner du looks at the holographic demo on the du booth

Power utilities — mission-critical by design

For utilities, the focus remains on digital substations and automation at scale—grounded in IEC-based architectures and deterministic, carrier-grade IP/optical transport—with quantum-safe paths to protect critical energy networks over the long term.  

Data centers for AI/HPC

Many of the week’s “wow moments” hinged on compute: training, inference, model serving and time-series analytics. The practical takeaways:

  • Keep compute close to where data is created (on-prem/edge or primary data center) for latency, cost and compliance
  • Use high-capacity Data Center Interconnect (DCI) and coherent optics to synchronize clusters
  • Move results, not raw firehose—supporting data locality/residency/sovereignty while scaling reliably  

People behind the tech

I’ve included a few photos—moments from both stands (including the AI hologram), a couple of group photos of our Energy team and the colleagues who presented the demo, plus a quick selfie catching up with old friends. 

Blog author Ali Emam in a selfie with two industry colleagues

If you’d like a deeper dive on oil & gas architectures for AI/HPC, quantum-safe options for energy networks or utility automation patterns, drop me a message on LinkedIn. I’d be happy to compare notes after the show.

For more information:

Ali Emam

About Ali Emam

Ali Emam is the Global Head of Energy Marketing at Nokia, bringing over 25 years of comprehensive techno-commercial experience and a visionary approach to the telecommunications industry. At Nokia, Ali has demonstrated leadership in navigating the digital and physical realms of customer engagement, most notably through his most recent previous role as Head of Demo Digital Customer Journey, where he played a pivotal role in integrating Nokia's vision of a metaverse-driven future. With a deep commitment to innovation and sustainable solutions, Ali is steering Nokia's energy marketing strategies in global markets, leveraging his extensive international experience and cultural fluency to foster growth and connectivity.

Connect with Ali on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter

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