OneMindNG was invited to a panel to share its expertise as part of the innovative KAFD Smart City project

Orange Business, one of OneMindNG‘s key channel partners, formalised an agreement with the King Abdullah Financial District Development & Management Company (KAFD DMC), the main business district in Saudi Arabia and considered one of the most sustainable in the world.

This new agreement in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East renews Orange Business’ confidence in OneMindNG —awarded International Partner of the Year 2022 in MEA region— and the IoT Smart Hypervisor solution to develop this smart city project.

We are delighted to be part of this technology challenge, bringing our OneMindNG solution to support the integration of AI and data analytics into KAFD’s digital infrastructure. Also, that Stéphane Eyme, CEO of OneMindNG –wholly-owned subsidiary of Affluence Corporation (OTC- AFFU)— was one of the guests on the expert panel at the firm’s event.

 “Safe, smart, sustainable: the future of smart cities” was the title of the panel discussion featuring Gautam Sashittal, KAFD DMC CEO; Sahem Azzam, Orange Business Senior Vice President, Middle East, Africa & Turkey; John Hilliard, Head of Middle East for WiredScore, and Stéphane Eyme, OneMindNG CEO.

In his speech, Stéphane Eyme highlighted the urgency of implementing intelligence in cities, in the face of population growth and the need to offer a living experience to citizens: “Be smart or die”. To achieve this, in terms of development, the most important thing is to change the mindset of those in charge of cities.

The smart city strategy must be planned as a holistic project: it is not only about technology, but also about facilities, infrastructure, education and socialisation. What exists, be it infrastructure, technology or culture, needs to be considered and integrated into the strategy and built upon.

Technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are going to make a huge difference to the way we are operating our cities, but this is not going to happen on its own. We need to be able to break down the information systems silos of existing deployed technologies and have a holistic understanding.

The technology is available, cities are willing and moving in that direction, so we can expect on a short horizon to see emerging services that will vastly improve our experience of city life.

The ceremony —the first within the Spotlight series— serves as a platform to showcase KAFD partnerships, recent and upcoming developments, and thought leadership.

At OneMindNG, we are grateful to be able to bring our knowledge, experience and technology solution to the Smart Cities industry in such relevant projects as KAFD, with partners of Orange Business‘s stature. If you are interested in our collaboration as IoT Smart Hypervisor solution expert in Smart Cities, please contact with Jorge Luengo, Head of Sales Middle East and APAC of OneMindNG.