The Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB), in collaboration with the Gulf Data Center Association (GDCA), wrapped up its participation in the Datacloud Global Congress 2024, which was held in Cannes, France, from June 4-6, 2024.
During the event, key team members from Bahrain EDB connected with data centre operators, hyperscalers, cloud providers, and software vendors, and key industry stakeholders from major markets across the globe, and gained valuable insights into the latest trends and challenges shaping the digital infrastructure landscape. Alongside productive discussions held on the sidelines of the event, Bahrain’s competitive advantages as a prime location for data centre and cloud computing development were showcased to potential investors.
Musab Abdullah, Executive Director of Business Development for the ICT sector at Bahrain EDB, stated: “We are excited to be at the 2024 edition of Datacloud Global Congress. It’s the perfect platform for us to network with the industry’s key global players, exchange experiences, and promote Bahrain as a tech hub for companies seeking to expand their footprint in the region.”
Musab Abdullah added: “Backed by the government’s forward-thinking approach, unparalleled operating cost advantages, highly skilled future-ready talent, and a strategic location with excellent global digital connectivity, Bahrain has earned its standing as the destination of choice for data centres in the MENA region.”
On the sidelines of the Congress, Musab participated in a panel that examined the growing wave of digital infrastructure projects across the Middle East alongside high-level speakers from NEOM’s cognitive technology company, Tonomus, Khazna Data Centers, STL Partners and Quantum Switch. The panel additionally discussed challenges in designing and building digital ecosystems, the intricacies of planning for the rise of AI-led and smart cities, and investment opportunities and key developments within Middle Eastern markets.
The launch of the region’s first Amazon Web Services (AWS) hyperscale data centre in Bahrain in 2018 has driven massive growth in data traffic towards MENA. Moreover, it stands to create a clustering effect as other global providers turn their attention to the increasingly attractive region, with Bahrain well positioned as the tried and tested destination of choice with the implementation of proactive initiatives such as the Government’s Cloud-First Policy, the passing of the data jurisdiction law and the availability of nationwide 5G networks.
Datacloud Global Congress is one of the leading events in the tech industry. The 2024 edition gathered over 2,800 key decision-makers from the finance, technology, and energy sectors, alongside leading data centre providers and government agencies in the heart of the French Riviera, to network, close deals and gain insights from world-class digital infrastructure experts.
