Rolls out 10 local events and 15 international roadshows in early 2025 designed to forge new partnerships and accelerate sector growth.
The first half of 2025 saw remarkable achievements for the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, which has become an engine for entrepreneurial growth in the emirate.
The progressive body, operating under Dubai Chambers, announced it had assisted 308 promising digital startups to establish and develop their businesses in Dubai—marking a 39 per cent increase from the 221 companies supported over the same period last year.
Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, as well as Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, reflected on this milestone: “Our priority is to create a seamless digital business landscape where visionaries, talents, and new ventures find every tool necessary for success.
By reinforcing Dubai’s digital infrastructure, evolving the legislative framework, and cultivating a truly innovative ecosystem, we are unlocking global potential right from the heart of the emirate.”
Digital opportunities
Looking deeper into the activities fueling this momentum, Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of the Chamber, recounted a dynamic calendar: “To empower tech businesses, we rolled out 10 events in early 2025 designed to forge new partnerships and accelerate sector growth.
“Furthermore, we hit the road with 15 international roadshows, spotlighting Dubai’s flourishing digital opportunities and driving anticipation for Expand North Star—set to be the world’s premier gathering for startups and investors.”
Expand North Star, hosted by the Chamber and organised by Dubai World Trade Centre in October 2025, is poised to attract trailblazers across the global digital economy. This massive event draws startups, investors, business leaders, and innovators together, all eager to explore Dubai’s advantages and shape the future of digital commerce.
Mobile phone production grew from Rs18,900 crore in FY15 to Rs5.45 lakh crore in FY25, and its exports crossed Rs2 lakh crore.
As the country awaits GST rate rationalisation, the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) called for the inclusion of mobile phones and components in the five per cent GST slab reserved for essential goods.
Calling the current 18 per cent GST slab “regressive”, ICEA argued that mobile phones, essential for digital access for over 90 crore Indian citizens, should be classified as ‘necessities’ in the upcoming GST reform.
“The mobile phone is no longer an aspirational good; it is an essential digital infrastructure for education, healthcare, financial inclusion, and governance. It should rightly be taxed at 5 per cent GST, in line with the Prime Minister’s GST reform agenda and his vision of a $500 billion electronics ecosystem,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, ICEA.
Stimulating demand
India cannot create an inclusive Digital India if the devices that enable it remain unaffordable for millions. Placing mobile phones in the 5 per cent GST slab will restore affordability, stimulate demand, and accelerate India’s journey towards universal digital access, Mohindroo added.
The Central government has mulled reducing the current four-slab structure into two primary rates — 5 per cent and 18 per cent — while introducing a special 40 per cent slab for luxury and sin goods.
Around 99 per cent of items currently taxed at 12 per cent are expected to shift to the 5 per cent bracket, while 90 per cent of goods in the 28 per cent slab, including white goods, are expected to shift to the 18 per cent slab.
Domestic annual consumption of mobile phones has decreased from nearly 300 million units to around 220 million units since the GST increase to 18 per cent in 2020, ICEA noted, adding that the Indian market has huge room to grow if rates are slashed.
Boosted by the ‘Make in India’ initiative, mobile phone production grew from Rs18,900 crore in FY15 to Rs5.45 lakh crore in FY25, and its exports crossed Rs2 lakh crore, positioning India as the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world after China.
After years marked by leadership missteps and missed AI opportunities, the Santa Clara giant has found itself playing catch-up while rivals rake in the artificial intelligence riches.
It’s not every day that a legend in the chipmaking world gets a shot at redemption, but that’s exactly what’s unfolding for Intel as SoftBank Group steps up with a $2 billion capital injection.
The announcement, is a clear sign that the Japanese tech investment powerhouse is betting big on Intel’s ability to claw its way back into the high-stakes AI chip arena.
For Intel—a company once synonymous with semiconductor domination—this is more than just an infusion of cash. After years marked by leadership missteps and missed AI opportunities, the Santa Clara giant has found itself playing catch-up while rivals rake in the artificial intelligence riches.
The SoftBank deal lands squarely in the middle of Intel’s much-publicised turnaround push, led by new CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
The timing is all the more notable given the political swirl around Intel lately.
SoftBank’s grand vision
Reports surfaced last week about possible government intervention—potentially a direct stake from the US government—after a charged meeting between CEO Tan and President Trump. The President’s reported calls for Tan’s resignation over his China connections added further intrigue.
Nevertheless, insiders insist that SoftBank’s investment decision was made independently of the White House drama.
With this move, SoftBank instantly rockets into Intel’s top-10 shareholders—landing as the sixth largest.
The $23-a-share deal, via a fresh issuance of common stock, gives SoftBank just under two per cent ownership in Intel, fueling not just Intel’s turnaround, but also SoftBank’s grand vision for AI infrastructure in America.
Remember, these are the folks spearheading the $500 billion Stargate US data centre mega-project and pouring $30 billion into OpenAI this year.
Rapidly evolving puzzle
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son was blunt about the significance, saying that America’s role in next-gen semiconductor manufacturing is poised to expand—and Intel is at the centre of that story.
But there’s no “takeover” angle here: SoftBank isn’t angling for a board seat or promising to buy up swathes of Intel’s chips. This is a simple, strategic equity play—though the market reaction was anything but quiet: SoftBank shares tumbled 5 per cent, while Intel’s stock jumped 5.6 per cent after hours.
There is still a lot of ground to cover before Intel can declare victory. The company posted a staggering $18.8 billion loss in 2024—its first annual loss in nearly 40 years. The very real specter of direct US government investment hangs over everything, with some reports suggesting the Feds are contemplating a 10 per cent stake.
If nothing else, SoftBank’s investment piles further momentum onto the US side of the global chip and AI arms race.
With Foxconn planning to build data centre gear for SoftBank’s Stargate venture at its repurposed Ohio factory, and the Japanese investor casting an ever-wider net across the AI value chain, the Intel lifeline is just one piece of a much bigger, rapidly evolving puzzle.
Users can tap into Gemini through Oracle’s Universal Credits system, meaning there’s no jarring shift in procurement or billing
As top giants jostle for dominance, enterprises stand to benefit from an AI ecosystem that’s more open, more capable, and quicker to deliver tangible productivity gains.
Oracle is clearly doubling down on its generative AI ambitions, and the company’s latest move—joining forces with Google Cloud to integrate Gemini models into Oracle Cloud Infrastructure—turns heads for good reason.
By making Google’s advanced Gemini AI, starting with Gemini 2.5, available on the OCI Generative AI service, Oracle doesn’t just add a new tool; it turbocharges its appeal to enterprises itching for multi-cloud flexibility.
What’s in it for Oracle customers? For one, easy access: users can tap into Gemini through Oracle’s Universal Credits system, meaning there’s no jarring shift in procurement or billing. But this integration is about more than simplicity.
The shared roadmap brings far more than text generation—think images, video, and audio, plus sector-focused models like MedLM for healthcare.
And when Gemini gets deeply woven into Oracle’s business-critical Fusion Cloud Applications—think finance, HR, and supply chain—the productivity upside for end users could be huge.
Oracle’s AI bet
The numbers back up Oracle’s AI bet. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, Oracle’s total cloud revenue soared 27 per cent year over year to $6.7 billion. That’s not a fluke—it’s a signal that enterprises are buying into Oracle’s AI-first pitch.
By supporting leading AI models from not just Google, but also Cohere, Meta (with Llama), and xAI’s Grok, Oracle gives its clients options and insulates them from vendor lock-in. This multi-model buffet does more than just drive OCI traffic; it catalyses AI adoption across a broad range of use cases in Oracle’s applications, paving the way for durable growth.
For Google, meanwhile, this partnership is an entry into Oracle’s vast enterprise client base, extending Gemini’s reach and deepening the kind of cross-cloud integration that started with Database@Google Cloud.
There’s a clear ambition here: help businesses leap from just using AI to harnessing the “agentic” AI—systems that proactively automate and orchestrate tasks—expected to define the next wave of enterprise productivity.
Cross-cloud partnerships
The momentum should carry Oracle’s growth forward. Analysts anticipate mid-to-high teen revenue growth rates for fiscal 2026 and 2027—figures that seem plausible if the AI flywheel keeps spinning.
Zooming out, Microsoft and Amazon, two titans in the cloud AI game, are not standing still. Microsoft’s AI-laced Azure platform, thanks to deep partnerships with OpenAI, Nvidia, and Anthropic, notched $75 billion in revenue last fiscal year, growing 34 per cent.
With an unmatched global cloud network, robust Copilot uptake, and relentless cash generation, Microsoft’s scale keeps it at the tip of the AI spear.
Amazon, meanwhile, leverages AWS’s 32 per cent share of the global cloud market—fueled by a jaw-dropping $100 billion in data center investments and homegrown AI chips like Trainium 2, which offer price-performance rivaling Nvidia.
Amazon Bedrock’s model buffet, featuring Claude and Llama, plus double- and triple-digit AI revenue growth rates, signal that Amazon’s AI momentum isn’t likely to fade.
Where does this leave Oracle? In a three-way race where differentiators like flexibility, cross-cloud partnerships, and depth of embedded AI for business workflows could make or break market share.
As these giants jostle for dominance, enterprises stand to benefit from an AI ecosystem that’s more open, more capable, and quicker to deliver tangible productivity gains.
Funding round led by Radical Ventures and Inovia Capital, and saw enthusiastic participation from existing investors like AMD Ventures, NVIDIA, PSP Investments, Salesforce Ventures and Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.
Cohere, the Canadian artificial intelligence startup, has successfully closed an oversubscribed funding round, raising a remarkable $500 million and pushing its valuation to $6.8 billion.
The round was led by Radical Ventures and Inovia Capital, and saw enthusiastic participation from existing investors like AMD Ventures, NVIDIA, PSP Investments, and Salesforce Ventures.
Notably, new backers such as the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) also joined the roster, signaling strong confidence in Cohere’s trajectory.
With these fresh funds, Cohere is set to accelerate its efforts in agentic AI—paving the way for smarter, more autonomous AI systems that can transform enterprise operations.
A competitive edge
The strategic direction comes on the heels of several high-profile collaborations with industry leaders including Oracle, Dell, Bell, Fujitsu, and SAP.
Founded in 2019, Cohere has quickly carved out its place in the competitive AI landscape, offering language models and AI tools that automate complex tasks across a variety of sectors.
The company stands shoulder to shoulder with US AI giants like OpenAI and Google, constantly striving to deliver secure, high-performing language technologies that give clients a competitive edge.
Adding more fuel to its momentum, Cohere has bolstered its leadership team with two major hires. Joelle Pineau, previously vice-president for AI research at Meta and a renowned professor at McGill University, steps in as Cohere’s first chief AI officer.
Pineau brings extensive experience from her tenure as lead of Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team, positioning Cohere for more cutting-edge innovation.
Joining her is Francois Chadwick, Cohere’s newly appointed chief financial officer. With a background that spans executive roles at Uber and a partnership at KPMG US, Chadwick will spearhead finance and business operations as the company gears up for rapid expansion and global reach.
Solidifying its position
Aidan Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Cohere, shared his enthusiasm: “Cohere is becoming the world’s chosen partner for integrating AI into their critical industries. We are at a pivotal moment in accelerating the delivery of secure AI that empowers enterprises worldwide, and we’re excited to enter this new phase of expansion alongside our partners.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Joelle and Francois, whose experience, talent and insight will be instrumental in continuing Cohere’s growth.”
Echoing this optimism, Jordan Jacobs, co-founder and managing partner at Radical Ventures, emphasised Cohere’s unique approach: “Cohere is fulfilling that promise by building privacy-first, cloud-agnostic models and agentic AI applications that are driving extraordinary productivity gains and ROI to blue-chip enterprises, businesses and governments worldwide. We are co-leading this investment round because this is just the beginning for Cohere.”
With fresh capital, a reinforced leadership team, and an ambitious outlook, Cohere is poised to solidify its position as a key player in the evolving world of enterprise AI.
ChatGPT is still the sun at the centre: it had 46.6b visits—more than twice all the next nine chatbots combined.
ChatGPT may still dominate by sheer size, but rivals like Grok, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude are nipping at its heels by refining user experience and solidifying loyalty.
Each month, over 60,000 people search for the “best AI chatbot”—and that number’s only going up.
We’re at the epicentre of an AI chatbot explosion, and the sheer pace is dizzying. It’s like suddenly finding yourself at the birth of the cosmos: one spark of innovation gives way to countless new stars.
What started with a handful of promising tools has now swelled into a bustling universe with thousands of chatbots, each vying for their turn in the spotlight.
It’s easy to get lost in all these choices. Whether you’re a marketer, teacher, entrepreneur, or just chatbot-curious, the quest for what actually works can feel overwhelming.
You’re not alone if you’ve hopped onto a listicle, only to find yourself more confused than when you started. People want substance, not just more options. Many are looking for viable ChatGPT alternatives. But is ChatGPT still the king, or are broader ambitions taking root elsewhere?
Reflecting on these questions, Sujan Sarkar, Co-Founder at onelittleweb.com, described the current moment as “an AI chatbot explosion that’s reshaping how the world interacts with technology.” Sarkar’s team analysed more than 10,500 AI tools between August 2024 and July 2025—a Herculean effort to map this rapidly expanding world.
Leaders and laggards in the AI race
Over the last year, the top 10 AI chatbots drew an incredible 55.88 billion visits. That’s a 123 per cent increase over the previous year! ChatGPT is still the sun at the centre: it had 46.6 billion visits—more than twice all the next nine chatbots combined.
But look out, because not all stars rise at the same speed. Grok, once obscure, had just 51,000 visitors last year but rocketed to a mind-blowing 687 million in 12 months—an increase of more than 1,340,000 per cent! This kind of growth is almost unheard of in any tech sector.
DeepSeek’s trajectory is more of a rollercoaster. It climbed quickly to 520 million visits in February 2025 but then dropped 39 per cent by July, showing how fickle user attention can be.
Meanwhile, Google’s Gemini became a heavy-hitter, growing 156 per cent year-over-year to reach 1.7 billion visits, buoyed by better integration with Google’s ecosystem.
Claude, another rising star, claims the most engaged users: people spend an average of almost 17 minutes per session, and it’s also racked up more than 40 million app store reviews—a testament to its strength in the mobile market.
Perplexity and Claude, while still behind ChatGPT in raw numbers, are quietly building powerful, loyal user bases. Both have more than doubled traffic, each reaching the billion-visit milestone.
On the flip side, some players are losing steam: Poe saw a drop of 46 per cent in visits, and both Mistral and Meta AI are stuck in the slow lane despite relaunches and fresh branding.
All told, these ten tools account for about 59 per cent of all AI-driven web traffic. In other words, the biggest planets still rule the solar system, but the smaller ones are catching up fast.
What lit the fuse?
The dramatic jump in total traffic—from 25 billion to almost 56 billion visits year over year—didn’t happen by accident.
The hottest period for growth was between March and July 2025, with May alone smashing records at 6.4 billion visits (compared to 2.4 billion last spring).
March 2025 was an inflection point. It saw an eye-popping 141 per cent surge in visits, kicked off by platform upgrades to ChatGPT, DeepSeek’s media blitz, and the arrival of new chatbots with multimodal chops (think: handling text, images, even audio).
“Success always depends on what you measure,” said Sarkar. DeepSeek, for instance, ranks fifth in their overall model, but rockets to second if you just count annual visits. That’s a reminder: user engagement, session duration, and retention paint very different pictures than raw traffic alone.
Just as interesting—who keeps users hooked the longest? Claude reigns here, with nearly 17 minutes per session. Grok and ChatGPT also keep people engaged for more than 15 minutes on average.
There’s no single “best” AI chatbot—at least, not for everyone. ChatGPT may still dominate by sheer size, but rivals like Grok, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude are nipping at its heels by refining user experience and solidifying loyalty.
If anything, the metrics show that how you define “winning” changes depending on where you look: is it about traffic? Engagement? Rapid growth?
Whatever your perspective, there’s no denying that this is an era of AI abundance. And one thing’s for sure: the chatbot universe is still expanding—and the race for attention has only just begun.
