One is, naturally, Russia, while the other is United Arab Emirates, Dubai, to be precise – and here, in the second case, we have a lot of Indian influence.
One international hi-tech fair in Dubai has, these days, smoothly transformed into another. The first one was WETECH, that started on October 1, the other is GITEX, “the largest and best rated tech and AI event in the world”, to end on October 17. The venue was almost the same pavilions.
WETECH was about hi-tech, too, with a strong watery taste. The innovations displayed were revolving around recycling and cleansing water, be it the sea or industrial waste. Ecology and sustainable development were the catchphrases of the whole show. While GITEX (Gulf Information Technology Exhibition) is closer to the rarefied sphere of IT of all kinds. Arguably it’s one of, if not the most, prestigious fair in the world for anything that people are calling the future.
Literally all the world of innovations was and is there, in Dubai. From my personal point of view, there were two special areas of interest in these two events. One is “why Russia”, with the nation’s geniuses figuring prominently in both fairs. The other is “why Dubai”. The second question is as interesting as the first one.
Speaking about the products displayed, we have a problem here. How can a writer explain to his readers the meaning of an innovation, if the writer himself doesn’t know anything about the use of, say, something called an ultrasound dispergator? Anyway, that thing is mixing and/or separating different kinds of liquids for pharmaceutical or cosmetic industry, and it has been invented by a hi-tech company from the Voronezh region of Russia. Or, if I may try your patience once more, there was also a company from the Russian North, the Perm region, that has invented several new kind of charcoal water filters.
While GITEX has displayed some Russian AI analyzer of efficiency of salespeople’s telephone advertising and coaxing the clients. There also were some new ideas in information protection, and a lot of other miracles.
It’s hard to give any precise estimate of success of any company or a national pavilion in the hectic world of innumerous LED displays and Chinese dog-looking robots crowding the floor. But the general mood of Russian exhibitors is optimistic. We gain ground in the global hi-tech field, they say. You can see it especially in Dubai, while the similar events in Europe or even the Far East are getting pale, compared to the Gulf show.
So, why the Emirates? To repeat, India can give a lot of answers to that question. Two eras ago the Middle East was about oil and gas, with huge money flows to local coffers. While one era ago, the builders came in, many of them from India, and transformed the Emirates into architect’s paradise. It was then when the Arabs have discovered that construction was about hi-tech, too. They also have acquired a good taste for all kind of innovations from everywhere in the world. Finally, becoming first a regional, then a global hub for selling such things came naturally for the Emirates.
Why Russia? The story here is less linear. There was that very emotional episode in Russian history in early 2022, when the nation came under attack, and, as it looked then, some young people, a lot of them from the IT industry, left the country. At first, the idea of some enraged patriots was, these cowards tried to escape the draft (which has never been proclaimed, since there was no need for one). And then came the realization that the majority of these so-called IT relocants developed a habit of coming back, and then getting out again, and so on. Surely the idea of draft-dodgers was too hasty in the making.
Thing is, a lot of international IT companies relocated some of their Russian facilities and people abroad, to the Gulf among other places, being afraid of a Western IT blockade messing with the work. The full-scale blockade never happened as a result.
So, for many of Russian exhibitors at both WETEX and GITEX in 2024 there was no need to travel in a caravan to Dubai. They have already been there, becoming a noticeable part of the local hi-tech scene.
Where these developments will lead the world? First, the Emirates developed a healthy interest in getting themselves a more prominent place in the world. To remind, that country has joined BRICS on January 1, this year, and its leaders will be warmly welcome at the next BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, next week. The reason behind that move is Emirate’s sudden experience of profiting by opposing Western sanctions and other trade wars.
Second, the experience of getting a new, overseas platform for developing and promoting hi-tech products has invigorated Russia’s drive for a more prominent place in global economy. What seemed to be a dream before 2022 looks more real now.
As an example, the Russian Export Center, promoting our production abroad, has just hold a forum in Moscow. Veronica Nikishina, REC’s General Director, says that the time has come to expand sales of everything made in Russia all over the world, in venues like the mentioned Dubai fairs and everywhere else. She says, now up to 83 per cent of Russian companies are seeing good prospects of overseas sales, while only some years ago they did not have so many ambitions. Nikishina adds, there are PR plans to develop a Made In Russia logo and promote it in every thinkable place.
Trade wars and sanctions are producing bizarre effect on global markets in many other cases, emboldening dreamers. I’ve encountered an almost hilarious title in a Hong Kong newspaper recently, namely, Lebanon to buy more Chinese electronics following deadly pager attacks. Now, isn’t that interesting, especially if you have followed that glorious operation of Israeli special services, turning obsolete pagers into a deadly weapon against Lebanese Hezbollah grouping members and innocent bystanders around them.
Or, to put it simple, if you turn your products into a weapon, your competitor will not fail to use that chance.
Pagers in Lebanon seem to be small fry compared to a bold Russian idea of creating a Starlink of its own. What, Russia is really doing it (as it does, actually), while Elon Mask already has around 6000 satellites up there, with Britain and China catching up? These folks from Moscow think they have a chance to sell their own version of space internet services?
The logic here is simple, say the people commenting on the Russian Prime Minister Michail Mishustin’s recent decision to launch around 300 units to space by 2027. Starlink suited everyone while the world lived by the rules of decency. While even a small chance of Starlink being switched off as a way of sanctions against this or that nation gives a boost to a Russian alternative.
Dmitry Kosyrev is a Russian writer, author of spy novels and short stories. He also did columns for the Pioneer and Firstpost.com