Qualcomm used GITEX Global in Dubai (13 October 2025) to show real deployments of AI and 5G for industry. On the e& UAE and Honeywell stands, the company ran demos built on its Dragonwing platforms and Industrial AI Gateways: real-time asset monitoring, predictive maintenance, worker safety, smart bike telematics, AI smart glasses, and drones-as-a-service. There’s a local angle too—much of this work is tied to Qualcomm’s Engineering Center in Abu Dhabi. The firm also highlighted hybrid AI on laptops powered by Snapdragon X Elite, running models without an internet connection.
What Qualcomm actually showed at GITEX
Practical edge AI use cases across factories, energy sites, cities, and transport—running on Dragonwing and connected over secure 5G.
- Real-time industrial asset monitoring
- Predictive maintenance and worker safety
- Smart bike systems for rider safety and behaviour
- AI-enabled smart glasses for cybersecurity, security, and maintenance
- Drones-as-a-service for inspection and operations
On the show floor with e& UAE (Hall 22) and Honeywell (Hall 5), Qualcomm focused on tasks that matter to operations teams. Think sensors and cameras feeding gateways at the edge, models running locally, and alerts pushed over 5G. For mobility, the smart bike demo points to safer fleets and better compliance in busy urban areas. Smart glasses add hands-free checklists and incident response for technicians and security teams. And drones-as-a-service removes the ownership overhead for sites that need regular inspection of assets such as pipelines, towers, or perimeter fencing.
Dragonwing and Industrial AI Gateways—why the edge matters
Dragonwing-based Industrial AI Gateways push inference to site, keep data local, and maintain secure connectivity—including 5G.
- AI inference at the edge for low latency
- Secure connectivity options including 5G
- Suitable for energy, public safety, transport, and smart city rollouts
- Already rolling out with UAE customers
Putting models on the gateway reduces backhaul costs and downtime risk. It also keeps sensitive footage and telemetry on-prem by default. When connectivity is needed, 5G provides bandwidth and coverage for spread-out sites—think desert oil fields or utility infrastructure. Qualcomm says many of these use cases are already in live trials or deployment with UAE customers, which tracks with the region’s push for industrial IoT at scale.
Smart mobility, safety wearables, and drones
Qualcomm’s mobility kit goes beyond cars to two-wheelers, wearables, and autonomous inspection.
- Smart bike telematics with real-time safety alerts
- AI smart glasses for field teams (security, maintenance, cyber tasks)
- Drone services packaged for inspection and monitoring
With delivery fleets and commuters on two wheels across the UAE, smart bike systems can flag harsh braking, risky routes, and compliance issues in real time. For on-site staff, AI smart glasses bring computer vision and guided workflows to the line of sight, cutting time to diagnose faults or respond to incidents. Drones-as-a-service is the most straightforward: book flights and analytics as an OPEX line item rather than buying and managing your own fleet.
Local R&D: Abu Dhabi Engineering Center
A chunk of Dragonwing innovation is being built in the UAE.
- Qualcomm’s Engineering Center in Abu Dhabi supports Dragonwing work
- Focus on industrial IoT and AI for regional enterprises and government
- Signals long-term commitment to local skills and deployment
Building in Abu Dhabi means faster iteration with local partners like e& UAE and Honeywell, and better tuning for regional needs—environmental conditions, network setups, and sector regulations. It’s also a clear nod to national strategies around sovereign tech and advanced industry.
Hybrid AI on Snapdragon X Elite laptops
Some AI workloads will run on PCs without cloud access.
- Hybrid AI can run offline on Snapdragon X Elite devices
- Useful for secure environments and travelling staff
- Reduces dependency on cloud latency and connectivity
The pitch is simple: take models for summarisation, translation, or computer-vision-adjacent tasks and run them locally on laptops. That helps in secure sites with no internet, or when bandwidth is tight. Expect pilots where field engineers or auditors carry these devices to process data near the source, then sync results later.
Where to find Qualcomm at GITEX
Two stands, different angles.
- e& UAE: Hall 22 — H22-A10, H22-A20, H22-18
- Honeywell: Hall 5 — H5-A20
If you want the telco/operator view and cross-industry demos, head to Hall 22 with e& UAE. For industrial workflows and building systems, Honeywell in Hall 5 is the better stop.
What is Dragonwing?
Dragonwing refers to Qualcomm platforms used here for Industrial AI Gateways—hardware and software that run AI locally and connect securely, including over 5G.
What is an Industrial AI Gateway?
It’s a local compute node that ingests sensor/camera data, runs AI models for tasks like anomaly detection or safety alerts, and connects upstream over secure links such as 5G.
Do these solutions require the cloud?
Not for inference. The point is edge processing. You can still push summaries or flagged events to the cloud if needed.
