Each year at GITEX, a key theme echoes across conversations. In recent years, Artificial Intelligence has dominated discussions, from its transformative potential to its cybersecurity implications. This year, one topic stood out for me: the growing importance of data sovereignty.

This theme was also central to the launch edition of Intelligent Gov. tech, produced in collaboration with VAST Data. The publication, launched at GITEX Global, explored how Core42 partnered with VAST Data to strengthen the Core42 AI Cloud, a high-performance, scalable and sovereign platform designed for government and regulated industries.

By uniting leading accelerators within a single framework, the AI Cloud enables training, fine-tuning and inference at speed and scale while ensuring that data governance remains under national jurisdiction.

Renen Hallak, CEO of VAST Data, described Sovereign AI as critical for every nation.“ No country wants to depend entirely on others for such a powerful technology, whether for military, commercial or cultural reasons. Everybody wants to have this ability in-house,” he said. Hallak also noted that the UAE appears to be leapfrogging other countries in its speed and determination to build such capabilities. data sovereignty within its cybersecurity solutions. He explained how Sovereign SASE and FortiCloud are designed to meet the region’ s demand for local data control, especially in sectors such as healthcare and defence.

“ When it comes to SASE or server infrastructure, it is critical that traffic does not leave an organisation’ s premises. The same applies to cloud platforms, which must operate from within the country,” he said.

He added that Fortinet is committed to educating clients on effectively using AI in their security strategies.

Tim Pfaelzer, SVP and GM EMEA at Veeam, reinforced that sovereignty is closely tied to resilience and trust. He emphasised the need for clear data classification, storage policies and accountability.“ It is not only about sovereignty but about total resilience that shows your customers they can trust you as a vendor,” he said.

Across multiple conversations, the link between AI innovation and data sovereignty was clear. As global regions advance their Digital Transformation initiatives, it will be critical to ensure the foundation of digital trust through Sovereign AI.

That ambition was clear at GITEX, where AI-driven innovation was evident across diverse use cases from transport to optometry. Yet as these technologies evolve, the ability to control and protect data will be critical.

Tony Zabaneh, Director of Systems Engineering at Fortinet, highlighted the company’ s focus on AI and

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Intelligent CIO APAC Issue 64 | Page 18

Why Sovereign AI is the foundation of digital trust

Each year at GITEX, a key theme echoes across conversations. In recent years, Artificial Intelligence has dominated discussions, from its transformative potential to its cybersecurity implications. This year, one topic stood out for me: the growing importance of data sovereignty.