What’s the buzz? Technology

In a world where consumer tastes can transform almost overnight, only those companies with the ability to respond rapidly and imaginatively to change will be able to survive and thrive. As consumers migrate to SUV designs and five-door body types, carmakers have been forced to eliminate some of Europe’s most iconic three-door models.

As the world’s largest automotive companies struggle to respond to the technical challenges of today, South Korean manufacturer Kia has been able to buck the trend and outperform the market with new models such as the ProCeed, a five-door shooting brake, a radical alternative to the traditional three-door hatchback.

More than 20 years after capital goods giant CNH Industrial launched its first trucks and buses powered by natural gas, the technology is breaking out of its niche markets and poised to dominate the mainstream.

Today a vehicle that is equipped with a gas engine may cost more, but when taking into account fuel consumption and the price of fuel, the total cost of ownership is lower. The environmental improvements are significant. Gas trucks are allowed into low emission zones where diesel vehicles are not permitted.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, SEAT released a concept car that represents a radical new answer to the challenges of urban reinvention. The Minimó, combines the safety and comfort of a car with the agility and easy parking of a motorbike.

SEAT is completing a digital transformation to transform from a car manufacturer into a mobility company, where software will be one of their core competences. Having their own software house in Barcelona will help develop new business models and mobility services.

Thanks to the power of digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI), futuristic technologies such as robotaxis and elevators that move sideways through buildings are becoming a reality, leading urban mobility and architecture into exciting new territory.

Elevators enabled the first high-rise buildings. But until now the basic principles have never really changed. However, we are now seeing buildings that are more than 800 meters high. Conventional elevators are reaching their limits. We need a new concept.

Over the past five to seven years there has been a strong shift in power favoring employees. There is a transformational change taking place across organizations. New technologies are reshaping the workplace, turning the talents and aspirations of employees into the primary driving force of business success.

Not only in Dubai but in the Gulf states in particular, and across the Middle East and North Africa in general, technology has empowered women.Technology is one of the biggest gifts that women have received. It has changed their lives dramatically.

Ever since the release of the first consoles in the 1970s, video games have transformed home entertainment. Now the gaming industry stands on the brink of another revolution, with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR) and 5G mobile poised to unleash a new era of innovation.

With less than 18 months to go until Dubai starts welcoming millions of visitors to Expo 2020, a critical priority for organizers is to protect the world fair from the increasingly audacious ranks of cyber criminals.