UAE, Greece Sign Agreement to Advance Development of Digital Infrastructure

The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou. WAM
The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou. WAM
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UAE, Greece Sign Agreement to Advance Development of Digital Infrastructure

The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou. WAM
The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou. WAM

The Ministry of Investment of the UAE and the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a framework for investments in digital infrastructure with a focus on data center projects in Greece.

The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou.

Data centers to be developed under this agreement can reach a total capacity of 500 megawatts.

The data center market in Greece has witnessed significant growth in recent years, largely driven by the country's Digital Transformation Strategy 2020-2025, which aims to facilitate the transformation of companies into digital enterprises and incorporate digital technologies across its economic sectors.

Projections indicate that Greece's data center market will reach $1.218 billion by 2028 from $735 million in 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 9 percent.

With 15 data centers, Greece is set to expand its data infrastructure with an additional 139 megawatts of power capacity from new data centers planned for development over the next five years. This positions the country to become the largest data hub in Southeast Europe and the second largest in the Mediterranean by 2028.

Greece benefits from a network of over ten submarine cables linking the country to crucial global markets, further reinforced by multiple inland internet exchange points, resulting in significantly enhanced connectivity, reliability and an increased appeal for businesses seeking efficient and dependable data exchange.

The MoU between the UAE and Greece focuses on forging effective collaboration by building relationships between public and private organizations. The agreement additionally proposes the implementation of incentives to support pertinent initiatives and aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge.



Global Tech Outage to Cost Air France KLM Close to $11 mln

Air France planes are parked on the tarmac at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, in Roissy, near Paris, Saturday, April 7, 2018. Some 30 percent of Air France flights were cancelled Saturday as strikes over pay rises appear to be intensifying. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Air France planes are parked on the tarmac at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, in Roissy, near Paris, Saturday, April 7, 2018. Some 30 percent of Air France flights were cancelled Saturday as strikes over pay rises appear to be intensifying. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
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Global Tech Outage to Cost Air France KLM Close to $11 mln

Air France planes are parked on the tarmac at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, in Roissy, near Paris, Saturday, April 7, 2018. Some 30 percent of Air France flights were cancelled Saturday as strikes over pay rises appear to be intensifying. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Air France planes are parked on the tarmac at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, in Roissy, near Paris, Saturday, April 7, 2018. Some 30 percent of Air France flights were cancelled Saturday as strikes over pay rises appear to be intensifying. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Air France KLM faces a hit of about 10 million euros ($10.85 million) from last week's global technology outage, finance chief Steven Zaat said on Thursday.

The group is one of the first airlines to disclose a cost linked to the disruption, Reuters reported.

"The expectation is that it will cost us around 10 million (euros)," Zaad said in a press call, adding that KLM and Transavia bore the brunt of the disruptions while Air France was not seriously affected.

A software update by global cybersecurity company CrowdStrike triggered systems problems that grounded flights, forced broadcasters off air and left customers without access to services such as healthcare or banking last Friday.

Delta Air Lines has been the slowest among major US carriers to recover from the outage. The carrier has cancelled more than 6,000 flights since Friday and analysts estimate the hit to its bottom line could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. ($1 = 0.9213 euros)