Monday 08 / September / 2025
Muscat: HH Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, patronised the opening ceremony of the 34th edition of COMEX Global Technology Exhibition "COMEX 2025" on Monday.
The ceremony featured the announcement of strategic projects aimed at attracting local and international digital investments, including: The Digital Triangle Project; The designation of a Dedicated Artificial Intelligence Zone; The Green AI Alliance initiative, bringing together local and international government and private institutions, as well as academic bodies.
Agreements worth OMR42 million were signed during the event organised by the Arab Data Analytics Company with support from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. The event is being held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre and will continue for four days.
On the sidelines of the exhibition, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) signed five agreements and strategic memoranda of understanding with local and international partners in Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and digital transformation.
The ceremony also saw the launch of the electronic application for the "Tajawob" platform, an additional technological tool enabling community members to interact directly with over 55 government institutions and submit various types of requests in a simplified, secure, and transparent manner.
The exhibition halls host more than 140 tech startups, alongside participation from over 200 government and private entities and international delegations in the technology and digital transformation sectors, showcasing the latest technologies and electronic services. This reflects the high level of confidence and interest in this vital sector.
This annual exhibition aims to provide investment and advisory opportunities in data governance, develop data management and governance policies, offer administrative solutions for metadata organization, build national capacities, train competencies, and analyse data using the latest artificial intelligence methods.
Eng. Said Hamoud Al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, stated that the ministry supports this exhibition to achieve the goals of "Oman Vision 2040" in the digital economy, including supporting aspects of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and expanding the scope of digital government work. He noted that COMEX will be among the exhibitions marketed outside Oman.
He added that the Omani language model "Mu’een" was launched as the first national project in developing an AI language model, initially implemented within the government scope before expanding to the digital space.
In his turn, Dr. Ali Amer Al Shethani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Communications and Information Technology, highlighted a series of technological projects to be launched during "COMEX 2025," including: 30 new services on the Unified Digital Services Portal, mobile application, and smart assistant; The National Open Data Portal, a central platform aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability by providing open government data to the public; “Thiqa" digital authentication services, transitioning towards secure and reliable digital government services
He announced the region’s first alliance supporting AI development while preserving the environment—the Green AI Alliance.
This alliance focuses on strategic areas including green data centers, efficiency of large language models and software, development of advanced processors, and clean energy solutions enabling AI and high-performance computing. The alliance serves as a multilateral platform bringing together government entities, policymakers, energy companies, technology firms, and investors to unify efforts toward adopting sustainability and renewable energy principles.
He further revealed the Dedicated AI Zone in the Wilayat of A’Seeb, Muscat Governorate, as a specialised area to attract supporting institutions and tech startups in AI and other technologies from within Oman and the Middle East and Africa.
This step aims to provide a suitable environment for technical investments, focusing primarily on local and regional AI startups, thereby contributing to the national economy, developing technical infrastructure, and creating a flexible and attractive business environment for qualitative investments in AI and modern technologies.
Dr. Al Shethani explained that the implementation and supervision of the Dedicated AI Zone project will involve several relevant government entities, led by the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, which is responsible for the supervisory, regulatory, and legislative aspects of the zone. The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, as the technical partner, will oversee the selection of companies to develop the zone through a public tender for global companies to submit bids and operational and financial models for its management.
As for the Digital Triangle Project, he explained that it is a pioneering national initiative to develop three interconnected digital zones in Barka, Duqm, and Sur, forming a regional gateway for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and advanced digital services. The project is based on green data centers, world-class connectivity infrastructure via submarine cables and optical fibers, and a robust regulatory environment that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.
He also announced the launch of the AI Studio at "COMEX 2025," serving as a meeting point and stimulating environment between AI specialists and institutions and companies seeking solutions and leveraging AI technologies to overcome operational challenges.
Meanwhile, Prof. Abdullah Baabood, CEO of the Arab Data Analytics Company, stated that the continuous support for COMEX by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology over the years has significantly contributed to the development and prominence of this event, embodying the principle of cooperation and partnership between the public and private sectors.
Eng. Alaa Abdullah Bait Fadel, Chief Commercial Officer of Omantel, emphasised that the company is keen to present modern technologies and applications needed by the market, particularly in cybersecurity and healthcare services, during its participation in the exhibition.
The exhibition features main sections, including the E-Government Pavilion, Business Pavilion, Tech Startups Pavilion, Banking, FinTech, and Insurance Pavilion, E-Sports and Gaming Section, and International Delegations Pavilion.
"COMEX 2025" also includes a range of accompanying events, most notably: COMEX Awards, COMEX Summit, workshops and specialized sessions, interactive experiences, e-gaming competitions, COMEX Hackathon, and opportunities for visitors to explore the latest technological products and services.
