Episode
Why the Middle East is moving faster on infrastructure | In conversation with Siemens’ Hakan Ozdemir
- Podcast
- AB Majlis
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1502
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://rss.com/podcasts/abmajlis-arabianbusiness/3160441
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Summary
SPONSORED - The Middle East is investing heavily in smarter cities, power grids, data centres and AI-enabled infrastructure. According to Siemens’ latest Infrastructure Transition Monitor, the region is also showing greater urgency than global peers when it comes to transforming the systems that power its economies. Hakan Ozdemir, CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure in the Middle East and Siemens Qatar, joins Tala Michel Issa on AB Majlis to discuss what that transformation looks like in practice. They explore the rise of industrial AI, the growing strain on electricity grids, the extraordinary energy requirements of AI and data centres, and how digital technology could make buildings and critical infrastructure more autonomous, efficient and resilient. Ozdemir also explains why the next stage of the Middle East’s infrastructure boom will depend not only on investment, but on cybersecurity, skills, public-private partnerships and transferring technological know-how to local teams. The Siemens Infrastructure Transition Monitor: Middle East 2026 found that 66% of regional executives want the global energy transition to accelerate significantly, while 62% expect AI to reshape infrastructure operations within the next three years. Download the full Siemens report: https://www.siemens.com/itm2026-me This episode of AB Majlis was produced in partnership with Siemens.