Tech News
Microsoft launches new tools and features for developers to accelerate AI innovation at Build 2024; announces updates of Microsoft Copilot stack
Microsoft is empowering developer communities across the region to create and deliver the next generation of differentiated Artificial Intelligence (AI) experiences with a host of new product launches and feature updates to its portfolio of AI solutions announced at the Build 2024 conference.
New updates across Microsoft’s Azure AI Services include Azure AI Studio now being generally available as a key component of the Microsoft Copilot stack. In addition, GPT-4o, OpenAI’s latest flagship model, is now available in Azure AI Studio and as an API. This groundbreaking multimodal model integrates text, images, and audio processing to set a new standard for generative and conversational AI experiences. Also, Phi-3-vision, a new multimodal model in the Phi-3 family of AI small language models (SLMs) developed by Microsoft, is now available in preview in Azure.
Microsoft is also empowering developers to get the most of their data and make more informed decision through updates in Microsoft Fabric. Real-Time Intelligence, currently in preview, within Microsoft Fabric is designed to empower everyday analysts with simple low-code/no-code experiences, as well as pro developers with code-rich user interfaces to act on high volume, time-sensitive and highly granular data in a proactive and timely fashion. Also in preview is the Microsoft Fabric Workload Development Kit, a set of tools designed to extend applications within Fabric, creating a unified user experience for developers and independent software vendors (ISVs).
As part of Microsoft’s mission to support professionals to spend less time on mundane and repetitive tasks and instead focus on more strategic and fulfilling work, the company has also unveiled a series of updates and features to its Copilot stack, starting with Team Copilot. The solution expands Copilot for Microsoft 365 from a behind-the-scenes personal AI assistant to work on behalf of a team, greatly improving collaboration and project management. New capabilities in Microsoft Copilot Studio have also been introduced to support developers in building custom copilots that act as agents which can respond proactively to specific data and events. GitHub is also introducing the first set of GitHub Copilot extensions, developed by Microsoft and third-party partners, in private preview to allow developers to customize their GitHub Copilot experience with their preferred services like Azure, Docker, Sentry and more directly within GitHub Copilot Chat.
Frank X. Shaw, Chief Communications Officer at Microsoft, said: “Since it was first released, Copilot has emerged as a game-changer for many people and organizations across industries, empowering them to improve their efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and tackle complex tasks. Over the past year, we’ve built Microsoft Copilot and released more than 150 updates to it, and we’ve developed the Copilot stack, which takes everything we’ve learned so far and lets developers build their own copilots. And now, as we enter a new phase of innovation where Copilot begins to take more action on behalf of individuals and teams, we are introducing a number of expansions and capabilities to further empower developers to create highly intelligent Copilots that are tailored to their unique and individual needs.”
To ensure that developers are able to run demanding AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads like Azure OpenAI Service, a new Cobalt 100 Arm-based virtual machine (VM), based on Microsoft’s custom silicon series announced in November 2023, is now in preview, and the new Azure ND MI300X v5 VM is now generally available. These announcements build on Microsoft’s earlier launch of Copilot+ PCs, a new category of intelligent Windows PCs designed exclusively for AI. With powerful new silicon capable of 40+ trillion operations per second (TOPS), all–day battery life, and access to the large language models (LLMs) running in Microsoft Azure Cloud in concert with small language models (SLMs), Copilot+ PCs are able to achieve a level of performance never seen before.
Copilot+ PCs also unlock a new set of experiences for users such as instantly finding what they have seen or done on their PC with Recall, generating and refining AI images in near real-time directly on the device using Cocreator, bridging language barriers with Live Captions, and translating audio from 40+ languages into English. These experiences come to life on a set of thin and light devices from Microsoft Surface and our OEM partners Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. Pre-orders for the devices, which start from $999, are open, with general availability starting on June 18, 2024. Together with the latest features announced at Build 2024, the devices will be at the forefront of making Windows the most open platform for AI and the best place for developers.
Tech News
LIFERAY INTRODUCES HEADLESS CMS TO MODERNIZE DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGEMENT


Liferay, a leading provider of Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs), today announced the general availability of Liferay CMS, a fully headless content management system (CMS) designed to help marketing, development, and IT teams create, manage, and deliver digital content across multiple channels from a centralized repository.
Built on the core architecture of Liferay DXP, Liferay CMS combines the agility of a decoupled system with the stability and governance required by enterprise organizations. Whether powering a native mobile app, a customer portal, or a complex web ecosystem, Liferay CMS ensures content remains consistent, reusable, and easily distributable.
“Today’s organizations need agility without losing control of their content operations,” said Julia Molano, Director of Product Management at Liferay. “Liferay CMS builds on Liferay’s decades of DXP leadership to deliver a fully headless offering. It allows developers to work with stable, well-documented APIs while empowering marketers and content creators to manage global content without heavy reliance on IT.”
Liferay CMS introduces Spaces, the platform’s primary organizational units for headless content management, enabling teams to structure asset repositories, manage access, and collaborate more efficiently across departments or projects. Each Space provides a dedicated environment for content creation and management, including support for advanced localization with AI-powered translation tools, making it easier for global organizations to manage multi-language content.
“Across the Middle East, enterprises are moving away from fragmented content systems to unified, centralized architectures that can support scale and speed simultaneously. Headless CMS is becoming a critical enabler in this shift, allowing enterprises to deliver consistent digital experiences across channels while maintaining control and governance. With Liferay’s intuitive CMS, teams can manage content centrally, reduce operational complexity, and accelerate time-to-market and deeper customer engagement’’, noted Moussalam Dalati, General Manager of Liferay Middle East, Africa, and France.
Key features of Liferay CMS include:
- Global Content Visibility: A single view to search, review, and reuse content across regions and brands, eliminating disconnected repositories.
- Headless Architecture: Combines the flexibility of headless deployments with the governance and control of a centralized system.
- Embedded Analytics: Performance metrics like views and downloads are displayed directly within Liferay CMS, allowing teams to validate asset performance at the point of work.
- AI-Assisted Workflows: Accelerates translation, localization, and content review.
- Multi-Site Management: Ideal for franchises or organizations with multiple digital properties, allowing for centralized control while granting team-specific access.
- Unified Collaboration: Dedicated ‘Shared with Me’ areas and advanced access controls ensure all stakeholders work from a single source of truth.
The launch of Liferay CMS reflects a modular platform approach designed for organizations that prioritize an API-first strategy. Because it is built on the same core architecture as Liferay DXP, organizations can start with a streamlined headless CMS today and seamlessly activate integrated capabilities like advanced commerce, page building, or AI-driven personalization as their digital requirements expand.
Tech News
CLOUDERA ADVANCES HYBRID DATA PLATFORM WITH LONG-TERM STABILITY, ELASTIC SCALE, AND OPEN DATA INTEROPERABILITY

Cloudera, the only company bringing AI to data anywhere, today announced significant advancements to its hybrid data and AI platform. These updates help enterprises modernize seamlessly, lower infrastructure costs, and accelerate analytics and AI across their entire data estate.
Enterprises face mounting pressure to modernize data platforms while managing cost and risk, creating significant operational strain. As AI investment accelerates, PwC projects that AI could add as much as $320 billion to the Middle East economy by 2030, with the UAE expected to experience the most significant relative uplift, contributing close to 14% of its GDP. Frequent upgrade cycles, rising infrastructure costs, and growing complexity hinder innovation and divert resources from high-value analytics and AI.
Cloudera addresses these challenges by providing long-term stability and a predictable foundation for enterprise data environments. With extended support until 2032 and a unified platform experience across cloud and data centers, organizations can reduce operational overhead and focus on advancing AI initiatives.
These advancements reinforce Cloudera’s position as the only platform to offer long-term stability, elastic scale across cloud and data centers, and open interoperability in a single architecture, without requiring data movement or disruptive migrations.
Key features include:
- Guaranteed operational stability: Offers a stable, secure foundation for enterprise data environments, allowing organizations to standardize mission-critical infrastructure, reduce risk, and eliminate costly upgrade cycles while aligning platform strategy with long-term investments.
- Modernize seamlessly: Provides simultaneous updates to on-premises and cloud deployments, ensuring consistency across the entire hybrid data estate. This enables organizations to boost performance and meet changing regulatory requirements without the expense of re-platforming.
The update introduces new capabilities to enhance performance, flexibility, and data collaboration across modern data architectures. Automated optimization of Apache Iceberg tables, powered by Cloudera Lakehouse Optimizer, accelerates query performance and reduces storage overhead with minimal manual effort. Organizations can also scale compute on demand with Cloudera Cloud Bursting, using cloud resources for peak workloads without moving data, improving utilization while maintaining security and governance. Expanded data sharing enables secure access to live Iceberg tables across external platforms without copying or duplicating data, reducing silos and preserving data integrity.
“Our customers no longer accept trade-offs,” said Leo Brunnick, Chief Product Officer at Cloudera. “They want the flexibility of the cloud, the control of the data center, and the ability to scale without disruption. This update delivers all three on a single, unified platform built for modern data and AI.”
Tech News
EMARAT SUPPORTS HSE EXPO UNDERSCORING HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP

Emirates Petroleum Company PJSC (Emarat), a pioneer in the UAE’s oil and gas industry, is participating as Official Partner of HSE-Expo 2026, taking place on 1 and 2 April 2026 at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre in Sharjah.
Organised by Sharjah National Oil Corporation and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, Chairman of the Petroleum Department and President of Sharjah National Oil Corporation, the event brings together industry leaders, specialists, researchers, and stakeholders to advance dialogue around health, safety and environmental priorities across the region.
Emarat’s participation reflects the company’s continued focus on strengthening workplace safety, supporting responsible environmental practices, and aligning its operations with recognised regional and international standards. It also reinforces the company’s view that health, safety, and environmental performance is integral to operational excellence, long term resilience and responsible growth across the energy value chain.
Burhan Al Hashemi, Chief Executive Officer of Emarat, said: “At Emarat, health, safety and environment is a leadership priority embedded across every level of the organization. It shapes how we operate, how we invest and how we build a culture of accountability and care. Across our fuel, aviation fuel, lubricants, LPG, and natural gas businesses, HSE is fundamental to operational discipline, business continuity and the trust our customers and partners place in us. Our participation in HSE Expo 2026 reflects our commitment to raising standards, supporting responsible industry practices, and contributing to a safer and more sustainable operating environment.”
Emarat applies health, safety, and environmental discipline across its operations as part of its broader commitment to operational excellence and responsible growth. From frontline safety practices and process discipline to environmental stewardship and continuous improvement, the company views HSE as a business imperative that supports resilience, strengthens trust, and underpins performance across its fuel, aviation fuel, lubricants, LPG and natural gas businesses.
Furthermore, HSE standards are central to every product category Emarat operates in, including LPG. As a provider of composite LPG cylinders, Emarat adheres to global HSE industry standards in this product category among all others, underscoring the company’s commitment to safety and environmental responsibility across all aspects of its business.
Ali AlAstad Alhammadi, Vice President, Health, Safety, Environment and Quality, Emarat, said: “HSE Expo provides an important platform for industry stakeholders to exchange practical insight, share best practice and strengthen collaboration around issues that are central to workforce safety and environmental stewardship. For Emarat, this is an opportunity to engage with the wider HSE community and support continued progress in standards, awareness, and performance across the sector. We are grateful to SNOC for organizing this important platform and we look forward to continued collaboration and future participation”
HSE Expo 2026 serves as an important regional platform for advancing dialogue on workplace safety, environmental responsibility, and industry best practice. By bringing together energy leaders, technical specialists, researchers and stakeholders, the event supports knowledge exchange around the standards and innovations shaping safer and more sustainable operations across the region.
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