Mannai: Contributes to giving impetus to economic growth and productivity
Al-Sayed: It promotes the process of digital transformation and the achievement of the goals of Vision 2030
Martin: It provides more job opportunities in the Qatari market
Yesterday, Google Cloud launched its cloud region in Doha, during an official ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Center, attended by a number of ministers, executives from major local companies and elites from the information technology community, in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Free Zones Authority.
This new cloud region will contribute to meeting the growing demand for cloud services in Qatar and the Middle East region, and will also support the Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to support the country’s transition to a digital economy by supporting innovation and digital transformation.
Achieving Vision 2030
His Excellency Mr. Mohammed bin Ali Al-Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said during his speech at the opening ceremony that the launch of the first cloud region of Google Cloud in the State of Qatar is in line with our comprehensive vision regarding achieving the desired goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030, including those represented in establishing a digital infrastructure. Strong, internationally agreed standards and policies, moving us all towards a more effective economy, based on digitization and technology to enhance the quality of life and find comfortable solutions for various sectors.
He added that the launch of this new cloud region will contribute to giving impetus to economic growth and productivity, and will provide various companies and government and private institutions within the State of Qatar with an opportunity to achieve significant gains in terms of efficiency, by adopting flexibility standards in dealing with digital technology.
Strategic cooperation
Also in the context, His Excellency Mr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Free Zones Authority, said that the launch of the new Google Cloud cloud region in Qatar represents an important step within the growing partnership with Google Cloud, which began in 2020 after the two parties signed a strategic cooperation agreement to establish a center Regional for Google Cloud in Doha, and the continuous support provided by the Authority to launch the Center of Excellence has helped in the growth of the technology ecosystem in Qatar.
His Excellency expressed his pride in providing world-class cloud services from the free zones in Qatar, in addition to the Authority’s pivotal role in providing the latest technologies, providing advanced digital infrastructure, and allowing companies to enhance their capabilities, upgrade their level of innovation, and accelerate the pace of growth and development of the technology sector in Qatar. Country.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Free Zones Authority indicated that Google Cloud services will contribute to enhancing the digital transformation process and achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy.
Enhance operational efficiency
In turn, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways Group, said: “We are pleased with the opportunity provided by Google Cloud to establish its own electronic cloud region in Qatar, as it opens horizons for Qatar Airways in cooperation with Google for innovation and creativity, as well as benefiting from of electronic cloud services.
Al Baker added: “We are particularly looking forward to using data through AI/ML using Google Cloud to improve our exceptional customer service and enhance our operational efficiencies as well. In addition, proactive data-driven maintenance becomes much easier with the presence of Google Cloud, which securely stores our data, in Qatar.”
Adopting the latest technology
For his part, His Excellency Mr. Nasser bin Ghanem Al-Khulaifi, Chairman of beIN Media Group, said: “We are pleased to enter into this new and important partnership with Google Cloud, which will enable beIN to adopt the latest technologies and innovations. Innovation has always been one of the most important pillars we aspire to, as a leading media group in Qatar, as we continue to search for ways to improve the experiences of millions of our subscribers around the world. This step will contribute to promoting the continuous digital transformation in the sports, entertainment and media sectors in Qatar and the world.”
Yousef Mohamed Al-Jaida, CEO of the Qatar Financial Center, said: “Our partnership with Google Cloud underscores our shared desire to enhance growth opportunities for local businesses by providing opportunities and solutions that enable them to harness the transformative benefits of technology and digitization. Cooperation with Google Cloud in this field is based on the support we provide to our customers, especially those working in the financial services sector, and this cooperation moves us forward in the context of our mission to support Qatar’s transformation into a leading center for financial technology and digital transformation, and to achieve sustainable development for the country in line with with the National Development Plan.
Value added services
In this context, Mr. Ahmed Al-Fahd, Executive Director of Technology and Network Operations at Al Jazeera Media Network, said: “We are very pleased to be among the group of companies that benefit from the new cloud region of Google Cloud in Qatar, which will help us enhance our impact and our ability to enable more customers.” and partners around the world. Our cooperation with Google Cloud has contributed to providing services of great added value to news followers around the world.”
Al-Fahd indicated that this cooperation will make the network able to capture and analyze how people interact with news in real time, and translate this information into actions that help keep the world better informed of the latest developments. He said, “We believe that with the presence of the cloud region now in Qatar, we will be in a stronger position to enable us to provide exceptional news coverage and enhance information sharing.”
incentive for economic development
For her part, Ms. Adair Fox Martin, Head of Google Cloud Go-to-Market, said: “We are very proud of our ability to fulfill the agreement we made with the Government of Qatar and the business community in 2020 to open a cloud region in Doha. The Qatari economy has huge growth potential, and the Doha cloud region will be an additional incentive for economic development and the creation of more job opportunities in the Qatari market thanks to the growth and expansion that businesses will achieve through the use of the capabilities of cloud technologies. We are also very pleased with the presence of the ministers and leaders of Qatari companies at the launch ceremony of the cloud region, which reflects the support for the capabilities of the new region.”
The new cloud region in Doha is part of the global Google Cloud network, consisting of 37 regions and 112 departments that provide cloud services to more than 200 countries and regions around the world. The new zone provides high-performance products and services with a very fast response time to companies with different activities, from public sector organizations and large enterprises to small and medium-sized companies and startups in Qatar and the Middle East. Organizations in the region will benefit from key controls that allow them to maintain the highest levels of security, local availability of data storage, and adherence to compliance standards, including specific data storage requirements.
Increase economic activity
Research conducted by Access Partnership commissioned by Google Cloud indicates that the new Doha cloud region is expected to increase economic activity in Qatar, and its contribution to the gross economic product of the State of Qatar between 2023 and 2030 is estimated at $18.9 billion, as well as enabling Creating 25,000 new job opportunities in 2030 alone. This new cloud region is Google Cloud’s latest significant investment in Qatar, after opening a country office and virtual center of excellence in Msheireb.
The group of investments in infrastructure and resources reflects Google Cloud’s continued commitment to playing a pivotal role in enhancing Qatar’s digital future and its technological capabilities.
Google said that the government of the State of Qatar and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology helped support and enable the growth of cloud technologies across government agencies by adopting cloud computing policies, which enhanced Google Cloud’s entry into the Qatari market.
