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.



Google Hopes to Reach Gemini Deal with Apple this Year

FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
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Google Hopes to Reach Gemini Deal with Apple this Year

FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo

Google hopes to enter an agreement with Apple by the middle of this year to include its Gemini AI technology on new phones, CEO Sundar Pichai said in testimony at an antitrust trial in Washington on Wednesday.
Pichai testified in the Alphabet unit's defense against proposals by the US Department of Justice which include ending lucrative deals with Apple, Samsung, AT&T and Verizon to be the default search engine on new mobile devices, Reuters reported.
During questioning by DOJ attorney Veronica Onyema, Pichai said that while Google does not yet have an agreement with Apple to include its Gemini AI on iPhones, Pichai spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook about the possibility last year.
A potential deal this year would see Google's Gemini AI included within Apple Intelligence, Apple's own set of AI features, Pichai said.
Google also plans to experiment with including ads in its Gemini app, Pichai said.
Prosecutors have sought to illustrate how Google could extend its dominance in online search to AI. Google maintained its monopoly in part by paying billions of dollars to wireless carriers and smartphone manufacturers, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled last year.
The judge is now weighing what actions Google should take to restore competition. The outcome of the case could fundamentally reshape the internet by potentially unseating Google as the go-to portal for information online.
The DOJ and a broad coalition of state attorneys general are pressing for remedies including requiring Google to sell off its Chrome web browser, banning it from paying to be the default search engine and requiring it to share search data with competitors.
The data-sharing provisions would discourage Google from investing in research and development, Pichai testified on Wednesday.
Provisions that would require the company to share its search index and search query data are "extraordinary," and amount to a "defacto divestiture of our IP related to search," Pichai said.
"It would be trivial to reverse engineer and effectively build Google search from the outside," he said.
That would make it "unviable to invest in R&D the way we have for the past two decades," Pichai added.
Google has said it plans to appeal once the judge makes a final ruling.