As per the agreement's terms, the enterprise unit of telecommunications major Orange will provide digital master systems integration services and will oversee its partner ecosystem through collaboration with company experts on the integration of systems and innovative use cases
Orange Business to design, develop, and operate a smart city platform for KAFD DMC. (Credit: Mhmh5050/Wikimedia Commons)
Orange Business has signed a deal with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Financial District Development & Management (KAFD DMC) to design, develop, and operate a new end-to-end smart city platform.
The new platform will integrate and connect existing digital technologies within Saudi Arabia’s main business district, KAFD while harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics.
Under the terms of the agreement, Orange Business will offer digital master systems integration services as well as coordinate its partner ecosystem by collaborating with company experts on systems integration and novel use cases.
Orange Business, which is the enterprise unit of Orange, has been engaged in large-scale, complex smart city projects in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East for over a decade.
KAFD DMC CEO Gautam Sashittal said: “The increasing wave of urbanisation across the world is set to uncover a US $517 billion market for smart city solutions with an annual growth rate of 25%, a fact that plays into KAFD’s objectives of building a future-proof and business-friendly hub in Riyadh.
”A major step in that direction, our partnership with Orange Business will further strengthen our drive to become a global pioneer in smart urban development.”
The Orange Smart City Platform is designed to be compatible with a broad array of systems and technologies. It covers data management, big data, descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive data analytics, and governance.
The AI-related use cases include geolocation-based sentiment analysis of social media. Additionally, they involve analysing, collating, and sharing contextual data in areas ranging from water supply to traffic situation awareness.
Another use case is energy optimisation across commercial office buildings.
Through the integration of a digital twin with the smart city platform, architects and engineers will be able to analyse real-time data to streamline building design.
Orange Business Middle East, Africa, and Turkey senior vice president Sahem Azzam said: “The commissioning of the Smart City Platform is a clear signal of our commitment to elevate the already world-class district to the next level of smart city evolution – what we call the cognitive city.
”This is driven by the collection of data and leveraging AI and data analytics to provide deeper user insights as a basis for new use cases, revenue streams, and innovative services for the city’s population.”