The 2027 Agenda

The Middle East is rapidly emerging as one of the world's most dynamic digital infrastructure markets. Driven by ambitious national strategies, sovereign AI initiatives, hyperscale investment and expanding data centre capacity across the GCC, the region is positioning itself as a global hub for AI, cloud and digital infrastructure growth.

The Middle East’s position between Europe, Asia and Africa has always made it strategically important to international connectivity. However, disruption around the Red Sea, reliance on a limited number of corridors, regional developments and the emergence of alternative terrestrial routes are changing how operators assess resilience. How can the Middle East become the world’s most resilient and interconnected digital crossroads? 

As data centres become increasingly important to economies, governments and businesses, ensuring they remain secure, resilient and operational through disruption is becoming a strategic priority. This panel will explore how resilience can be built into the Middle East's rapidly expanding data centre ecosystem and what it means for the sector to become a fundamental part of the region's critical infrastructure.

AI infrastructure is driving unprecedented demand for fibre, IP transit and subsea capacity. Can Middle Eastern networks deliver the route diversity, affordability and 400G and 800G connectivity needed to compete as a global AI hub? 

The search for more resilient international connectivity is accelerating investment in new terrestrial and subsea corridors linking the Gulf with Europe, Central Asia, South Asia and Africa. Which routes have the strongest commercial case, where will future traffic growth come from, and what partnerships, investment and regulatory frameworks are needed to bring them to market? 

With plans announced for massive hyperscale and Neocloud expansion across the Middle East, demand for cloud, AI compute and data centre capacity is accelerating. However, which of these announcements are just for PR and which will be a reality? This fireside chat will explore what the real growth is and how it is reshaping the regional market

 

• Identifying the data-centre, connectivity, power and AI assets that remain strategic priorities  

• Understanding what projects must offer to win local sovereign backing   

• Examining how regional capital can draw in global funds, operators and expertise  

• Identifying which projects will attract sovereign and institutional capital  

• Understanding how risk, timing, contracts, and pricing are changing investment choices  

• Examining what would persuade global investors and financiers to commit capital alongside regional funds  

As countries rethink digital dependence, control of data is becoming central to infrastructure, AI, and national sovereignty. However, Data Sovereignty isn’t just about where Data lies but how it moves, who controls it and how it is secured. This panel will discuss:

• Investing in the Physical Layer of AI  

• Building Saudi Arabia's Next AI Infrastructure Platform  

• Scaling AI-Ready Capacity Across the Gulf   

• Building New Digital Corridors Between Europe, Asia and the Middle East  

• Financing the Next Generation of Terrestrial Connectivity Routes   

• Building the Next Hyperscale and AI Campuses Across the Middle East   

Satellite connectivity is opening up new choices for operators, from partnering with providers to exploring direct-to-device and new wholesale models. But as space-based connectivity becomes more accessible, what role should traditional telecom operators play? Should they partner, compete, integrate satellite into their existing services, or risk losing parts of the customer relationship? 

• How is the relationship between satellite companies and traditional telecom operators changing? 

• What could direct-to-device mean for the traditional mobile operator model? 

• How should operators think about satellite alongside continued investment in fibre, subsea and terrestrial infrastructure? 

• Who owns the customer and the service when connectivity is delivered across terrestrial and satellite networks? 

Data centre demand across the Middle East has never been stronger, yet translating unprecedented demand into cash flow remains a challenge. With rising capital costs, power constraints, connectivity costs and evolving customer requirements, longer investment cycles are forcing investors, operators and developers to rethink how they deploy capital and generate returns. 

• Compare the investment case for large AI campuses, regional colocation, fibre and network assets  

• Hear how operators and investors test contracts, power access, delivery risk and returns  

• Learn when to build, partner, refinance, delay or walk away 

AI is creating new opportunities across every industry, but also introducing new risks. What security challenges will define the next generation of AI-enabled infrastructure and services? 

Connectivity providers, hyperscalers, data centre operators and governments are collaborating more closely than ever. What makes these partnerships successful? 

• Examine how lenders, investors and operators are pricing physical, cyber and geopolitical risk  

• Understand whether back-up power, route duplication and hardening preserve value or erode returns  

• Decide which resilience costs should fall on operators, customers or government  

With a new wave of data centre development across the Middle East, operators face increasingly complex site selection decisions. This panel will discuss how operators, hyperscalers and investors are determining where the next generation of digital infrastructure will be built.

 

 

Connectivity, cloud, AI infrastructure and data centres are increasingly interconnected. What new opportunities emerge when these ecosystems are planned and developed together? 

As the Middle East emerges as a global hub for AI infrastructure, operators are being forced to rethink traditional design principles. This session will discuss how operators are designing facilities capable of supporting 100kW+ racks while balancing scalability, efficiency, and speed to market. 

• Compare the funding routes available from land purchase through to stable operating assets.  

• Find out where banks are pulling back and global equity or private credit is stepping in.  

• See how regional capital can bring in outside money, operating skill and market proof.  

As sustainability commitments intensify, how can data centres achieve net-zero ambitions without compromising growth? This panel will discuss how operators can combine cutting-edge design, renewable energy, and operational efficiency with sustainable practices to improve efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and support more circular infrastructure models. 

The Middle East has set out an ambitious vision to become a global centre for AI, digital services and innovation. This keynote will explore the connectivity, trusted infrastructure and regional collaboration needed to turn that ambition into sustainable economic growth. 

The region has announced ambitious AI, cloud and digital infrastructure plans, but the market now wants greater clarity on where sustained demand will come from. Which customers, workloads and services will create the next wave of connectivity revenues, and how can operators position themselves to capture the opportunity? 

As digital demand continues to rise across the Middle East, power is emerging as the key enabler of data centre growth, AI deployment, and broader digital transformation. This panel will explore why energy sits at the heart of the digital economy and how stakeholders can ensure power infrastructure keeps pace with the region's ambitions. 

Network APIs promise new revenue opportunities across identity, verification and enterprise communications, but which use cases have genuine commercial potential? This panel will explore where demand is emerging, what is holding back adoption and how operators can move from API investment to scalable revenue.

As demand for new data centre capacity accelerates, access to grid power can dictate when projects come online. How can the Middle East streamline grid connections and ensure energy infrastructure is delivered alongside digital infrastructure? 

OTP continues to underpin messaging revenues, but enterprises are adopting a broader mix of SMS, WhatsApp, RCS and conversational channels. How can operators protect existing revenues while building richer and more valuable enterprise propositions?  

As data centres place larger and more dynamic loads on power systems, reliability will become increasingly important. This panel will explore how grids and data centres can evolve together to provide the resilient, uninterrupted power required for the next generation of digital infrastructure. 

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• Planning for rising traffic between AI sites, cloud regions and data centres 

• Identifying where new backbone, metro and cross-border fibre is needed 

• Building capacity ahead of demand without backing weak routes 

• Cutting delays across design, permits, civil works, testing and handover 

• Comparing lessons from large fixed, backbone and cross-border builds 

• Raising build quality without driving up cost or slowing rollout 

As voice and messaging services evolve, operators are introducing new tools and partnerships to protect customers, verify communications and respond to increasingly sophisticated threats. How can the international communications ecosystem work together to strengthen trust, improve security and deliver safer customer experiences? 

With Middle Eastern data centres requiring increasingly large amounts of power, what combination of renewable and alternative energy sources can provide the scale, reliability and affordability needed for future growth? 

• Moving to higher speeds without wasting today's investment 

• Cutting power use and cost per bit as traffic grows 

• Designing open optical networks that avoid long-term lock-in 

As reliable connectivity becomes expected, customer experience is emerging as a key differentiator. This panel examines how operators can combine network investment, AI, customer data and new communications channels to deliver simpler, more personalised and joined-up experiences across connectivity, digital services and customer care. 

As AI workloads increase cooling demands, water scarcity is becoming a major constraint on data centre growth. Whilst new technologies promise significant reductions in water usage, questions remain around their cost, scalability and readiness for widespread deployment.  

• Joining cable landings to secure and separate terrestrial backhaul 

• Reducing shared risks at landing sites, border crossings and ducts 

• Improving route surveys, cable protection, repair plans and handovers 

AI is creating new opportunities across every industry, but also introducing new risks. What security challenges will define the next generation of AI-enabled infrastructure and services? 

Customers expect connectivity to work instantly, securely and without needing to understand the network behind it. This presentation explores how operators can reduce friction across onboarding, eSIM activation, identity verification and customer support, using AI and network intelligence to create a simpler, more trusted experience. 

As AI workloads become increasingly strategic, operators, cloud providers and enterprises are placing greater emphasis on trusted digital infrastructure. What does it take to create an ecosystem that combines connectivity, security and performance at scale? 

As AI infrastructure drives rack densities beyond the limits of traditional air-cooled environments, liquid cooling is rapidly becoming a critical enabler of next-generation compute. But as adoption accelerates, operators must navigate new challenges around deployment, operations, maintenance, and water management. 

• Hear how buyers judge cable, duct, connectors, seals and fibre-management systems 

• Understand when whole-life performance outweighs the lowest upfront bid 

• Reduce failure risk caused by weak design, product mismatch and poor installation 

As AI, cloud, digital services and intelligent infrastructure reshape the global economy, the Middle East is investing at an unprecedented scale. Looking towards 2030, what role will the region play in global connectivity? Which opportunities will create the greatest value for operators, hyperscalers, infrastructure investors and digital platforms? And what must industry leaders do today to ensure the Middle East becomes one of the world's most influential digital hubs? 

While liquid cooling has emerged as the leading solution for AI workloads, it is not the only path forward. Operators are exploring hybrid cooling systems, advanced air cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, free cooling technologies, and innovative facility designs to support increasing rack densities while balancing cost, sustainability and operational complexity. 

• Spotting degradation before it becomes an outage 

• Linking network data with field engineers, spares and repair crews 

• Cutting repair times and operating costs across large fibre estates 

As AI workloads, ultra-high-density racks and sustainability pressures reshape the industry, cooling is rapidly becoming one of the most critical factors determining how data centres scale. Operators must support increasingly dense compute environments while maintaining efficiency, reliability and long-term flexibility. This session explores the technologies, architectures and operational strategies that will define the next generation of AI-ready data centres