Tech News
Edamah and Badia Farms partner on innovative new agricultural project in Bahrain
Bahrain Real Estate Investment Company (Edamah), the real estate arm of the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), announced a strategic partnership with Badia Farms, a leading controlled environment food producer, which will invest several million dollars in a new sustainable farm in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The initiative will enhance Bahrain’s agricultural industry by introducing innovative sustainable farming practices from an experienced agricultural producer.
Badia Farms is a mission-driven sustainability company that focuses on the development and production of different varieties of fruits, vegetables, and plants. Part of the Bahrain-based Green Corp food investment management platform backed by Gulf Islamic Investment group (GII), with its US$4.5 billion assets under management (AUM), Badia Farms was the first commercial high-tech vertical farm in the Gulf region to produce fresh fruits & vegetables year-round. Its objective is to transform conventional farm growing methods across the GCC through technology, science and innovation.
Badia Farms secured the land for its Agricultural Oasis in Hamala, Bahrain through a competitive bidding process on the Government Land Investment Platform, emerging as the successful bidder for the plot. Under the agreement, Badia Farms will lease an area of 50,000 sq.m. from Edamah to implement sustainable and urban farming practices, producing a diverse range of fresh fruit and vegetables.
The project will implement the latest hydroponic farming techniques, while recycling water and biodegradable matter for re-use on the project and using solar panels to create clean, green power. Its hydroponic systems in controlled environments (such as greenhouses) will ensure year-round crop production, reducing dependence on seasonal variations, enhancing Bahrain’s food security and addressing the challenges of limited arable land and water scarcity.
The agreement was signed by Chris Calvert and Eng. Omar Al Jundi, the CEOs of Edamah and Badia Farms respectively, in the presence of Her Excellency Noor bint Ali Al Khulaif, Minister for Sustainable Development and CEO of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), His Excellency Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer of Mumtalakat and Chairman of Edamah, Mohammed Alhassan and Pankaj Gupta – co-Founders and co-CEOs of Gulf Islamic Investments Group (GII) – and Saleh Abdullah Albelushi, Director of Green Corp.
His Excellency Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, CEO of Mumtalakat and Chairman of Edamah said, “This collaboration with Badia Farms marks a transformative step for Bahrain’s agricultural sector, contributing to the Kingdom’s long-term economic growth. It will contribute to Bahrain’s self-sufficiency in food production by using cutting-edge technologies for a greener future, whilst creating employment and business opportunities for Bahrainis.”
He added, “This foreign direct investment on Edamah’s land, channeled specifically towards innovative agricultural practices, showcases our confidence in Badia Farms’ approach and underscores the potential for further growth and development within the sector.”
Eng Omar Al Jundi commented, “Our partnership with Edamah allows Badia Farms to bring pioneering hydroponic farming techniques to Bahrain, redefining sustainable agriculture. Together, we aim to build a resilient food system, focusing on environmental management and food security.”
Tech News
AI and Data Roles Drive Gulf Hiring Growth: RemotePass report
Hiring growth in the UAE and Saudi Arabia remains among the strongest globally, at 39% and 26% respectively in 2024–25, but the expansion is increasingly concentrated in a narrower set of roles, according to the RemotePass 2025 Hiring Report.
Data from the report shows outsized growth in specialised roles, with Data Scientist hiring up 43% and AI Product Manager demand rising 37%. The concentration of growth in these functions indicates that organisations are directing hiring investment toward specific capabilities rather than expanding uniformly across all technology roles.
This pattern reflects a shift in regional workforce strategy, with employers increasingly directing resources toward roles that support data-driven decision-making, AI deployment, and product execution, rather than scaling traditional technology teams.
AI and Data Roles Redefine Hiring Priorities
The UAE leads globally in AI hiring growth, rising from 32% in 2023–24 to 48% in 2024–25. The acceleration is among the sharpest recorded in any market and is being fuelled by enterprise AI adoption, fintech automation and large-scale digital infrastructure projects. Saudi Arabia shows a similar direction of travel, though at a steadier pace, as AI talent demand expands across both public and private sectors.
RemotePass Co-founder and CEO Kamal Reggad, said the data shows organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia moving decisively from experimentation to execution. AI is no longer confined to innovation teams, he noted, but is increasingly embedded into core business functions, making workforce planning a critical lever of competitiveness.
MENA Talent Hubs Continue to Power the GCC
While demand is strongest in the Gulf, the wider MENA region remains central to meeting it. Egypt continues to lead hiring volume across nearly every major tech role, including software engineering, backend, frontend, data science and QA, confirming its position as the region’s largest tech talent exporter. Pakistan ranks second across several engineering categories, supported by a large and cost-effective developer base.
Egypt’s AI hiring growth, after surging by 112% in the previous year, has stabilised at 28% in 2025. In contrast, Gulf markets have accelerated, reinforcing a regional realignment in which the UAE and Saudi Arabia are emerging as the primary centres of advanced technology hiring, supported by a broader MENA talent ecosystem.
Tech News
GCC RESIDENTIAL SMART SECURITY MARKET SET TO ADVANCE AS SCREENCHECK PARTNERS WITH BAS-IP
ScreenCheck, a subsidiary of Centena Group and a key player offering end-to-end identification and security solutions in the Middle East, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with global security technologies company, BAS-IP to officially expand its security and identification capabilities into GCC’s residential security market.
The agreement signed during Intersec 2026, aligns with ScreenCheck’s ongoing efforts to establish a robust position in the rapidly growing smart security and digital transformation market. Currently, the market is projected to reach USD 907.12 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 25.7 per cent between 2025 and 2032. This growth is mainly propelled by large-scale urban development, smart infrastructure investments and surging demand for connected security ecosystems in the residential sector.
Olga Shamilova, Chief Executive Officer at BAS-IP, said: “We are delighted to partner with ScreenCheck and support their entry into this new vertical of security systems. During our participation at Intersec 2026, we witnessed increased interest for our Open API, especially for its ability to create seamless, customised ecosystems and ease to integrate into existing building management systems. Our mobile-first application also received significant attention, as its intuitive interface was proven ideal for both complex multi-apartment projects and luxury private villas. With ScreenCheck’s market expertise in the region and their top tier client base, we look forward to providing a safe and secure environment for communities.”
The collaboration with BAS-IP will address the surging demand from developers for connected home and community security solutions across apartments, gated communities and large residential developments in the region by delivering integrated IP-based audio and video intercom systems combined with access control solutions.
Faisal Mohamed, CEO of ScreenCheck, said: “As cities continue to develop and digital infrastructure becomes an inevitable part of everyday lives, security is equally important for people and systems. We are delighted to work with BAS-IP to serve this evolving market.”
“With the Middle East region experiencing one of the fastest-growing property markets across the globe, our collaboration helps to distribute integrated residential security and home automation solutions. We will be delivering cutting-edge biometric identification, RFID solutions, AI-powered surveillance, and next-generation smart access control to homes, critical infrastructure, and technology-driven enterprises. Our goal is to enable safer, more resilient spaces that highlight the capabilities of the modern security landscape,” added Faisal.
ScreenCheck’s partnership with BAS-IP positions the company at the forefront of the region’s ongoing shift, enabling the delivery of intelligent, connected residential security ecosystems that align with the region’s smart city ambitions and evolving urban landscape.
Tech News
VERTIV INTRODUCES NEW MODULAR LIQUID COOLING INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTION TO SUPPORT HIGH-DENSITY COMPUTE REQUIREMENTS IN NORTH AMERICA AND EMEA
Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, today announced new configurations of the Vertiv™ MegaMod™ HDX, a prefabricated power and liquid cooling infrastructure solution engineered for high-density computing environments, including artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) deployments. The new configurations give operators flexibility to support rapidly increasing power and cooling requirements while optimizing space and deployment speed. The models are available globally.
Vertiv MegaMod HDX integrates direct-to-chip liquid cooling with air-cooled architectures to meet the intense thermal demands of AI workloads, supporting pod-style AI environments and advanced GPU clusters. The new compact solution has a standard module height and a maximum of 13 racks and power capacity up to 1.25 MW; the combo solution has an extended-height design with a maximum of 144 racks, supporting power capacities up to 10 MW. Both can support rack densities from 50 kW up to more than 100 kW per rack. The hybrid cooling architectures integrate direct-to-chip liquid cooling with air cooling for efficient, high-density thermal management, while the prefabricated modular designs enable accelerated deployment and allow customers to scale their data centers as demand grows.
“Today’s AI workloads demand cooling solutions that go beyond traditional approaches. With the Vertiv MegaMod HDX available in both compact and combo solution configurations, organizations can match their facility requirements while supporting high-density, liquid-cooled environments at scale. Our designs deliver what data centers need most—reliable performance, operational efficiency, and the ability to scale their AI infrastructure with confidence,” said Viktor Petik, senior vice president, infrastructure solutions at Vertiv.
The Vertiv MegaMod HDX models feature innovative hybrid cooling architecture, combining direct-to-chip liquid cooling with adaptable air systems in a fully integrated, prefabricated pod. The solutions feature distributed redundant power architecture enabling continuous operation even if one module goes offline. Additionally, the buffer-tank thermal backup system allows GPU clusters to maintain stable operations during maintenance or load transitions. This factory-integrated design enables repeatable precision in deployment while providing cost certainty for planning and scaling AI infrastructure.
This prefabricated design, combined with factory integrated and fully tested components and Vertiv’s global service network, provide dependable end-to-end support.
Vertiv’s extensive portfolio of power, thermal, and IT management solutions supports a wide range of data center architectures, enabling customers to meet rising density demands with scalable, high-performance infrastructure. Both configurations draw on this broader portfolio, including the Vertiv™ Liebert® APM2 uninterruptible power supply (UPS), Vertiv™ CoolChip CDU cooling distribution unit, Vertiv™ PowerBar busway system, and Vertiv™ Unify infrastructure monitoring.
Vertiv also offers IT rack infrastructure designed to seamlessly accommodate and support IT systems, including Vertiv™ racks and Vertiv™ OCP- compliant racks, Vertiv™ CoolLoop RDHx rear door heat exchanger, Vertiv™ CoolChip in-rack CDU, Vertiv™ rack power distribution units, Vertiv™ PowerDirect in-rack DC power system, and Vertiv™ CoolChip Fluid Network Rack Manifolds.
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