Amman, Jordan - The Special Operations Forces for Exhibition and Conference “SOFEX Jordan”, has launched the second edition of its Artificial Intelligence in Defense Technologies and Cybersecurity (AIDTSEC) conference and exhibition for this year, during a press conference held on Wednesday, May 3rd, in the presence of Chairman of the Board of Directors of SOFEX, His Excellency Brigadier General, Dr. Yousef Al Khatib, alongside Brigadier General Ayman Al Batran, CEO Of JODDB, Mr. Ahmad Al Taweel, CEO of SOFEX and Eng. Aiman Mazahreh, Co-Founder and CEO of STS.

The event focuses on the significance of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity and the importance of utilizing strategic approaches in information security and smart applications and will take place over two days on September 4-5 at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center at the Dead Sea.

His Excellency, Dr. Al Khatib affirmed that in today’s rapidly developing tech-scene, and the increasing threats to information security, this year’s conference theme “Networking for Digital Innovation” is planned to highlight two main pillars, content and innovation. The focal point of the conference is to showcase modern technology and systems, and the need for cooperation and exchange of expertise in this field.

In this year’s edition, Jordan Design and Development Bureau “JODDB” is launching the 1st edition of “ArmyThone” Competition designed for Armed forces and security agencies.

To bring together an elite group of cybersecurity and encryption professionals, the competition is envisioned to collate plans and theories to help combat and manage hacking and electronic forensic investigations to maintain security for cyber threats on nations’ infrastructure and other strategic fields. By combining best practices among the participants, working as teams to show their strengths and abilities, through a series of challenges designed specifically for building skills in cybersecurity and encryption.

Winners of the competition will be announced during the AIDTSEC 2023 closing ceremony, whereby the competition will take place over the course of 4 days and include challenges on encryption, electronic forensic investigations, web penetration, open-source data, reverse engineering, and many other challenges.

Following the substantial success of the 1st edition of the conference in 2021 in the field of defense technologies and cybersecurity in Jordan and the region, a significant increase in visitors, exhibitors, and participating countries is expected in this year’s edition of the exhibition. In addition, an increase in the number of official delegations invited by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, as well as cyber security and artificial intelligence Directors invited by the Jordan Armed Forces, all expected to contribute to the success and distinction of the exhibition from other exhibitions and conferences in Jordan.

Mr. Al-Taweel, stated that the success of the first edition of the conference was a great motivation to organize the second edition. He also commended the commitment of all partners, both local and international, to achieve the conference's goals of promoting sustainable artificial intelligence skills and investing in artificial intelligence infrastructure. This conference provides an ideal platform for communication with government officials, military personnel, experts in information technology, investors, regional and international delegations, and government officials. It is the only conference in the Middle East and North Africa region that receives significant attention from all government, military, and private sectors.

On his part, Eng. Ayman Mazahreh, Co-founder and CEO of STS, said: "Our role as a strategic partner in the conference revolves around achieving true convergence of innovation across all areas of information technology in general, and cybersecurity in particular, by forming a link between the conference and service providers. This is aimed at enriching the content and list of speakers, including influencers and global speakers, through our established relationships and partnerships with global IT companies. Additionally, we are keen on presenting the latest solutions and services that serve the national digital transformation plans of the Kingdom and the cybersecurity strategies of enterprises of all sizes."

It is worth noting that the AIDTSEC conference, which is held every two years with the support of the Jordanian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, and several public and private sector partners, will showcase the latest technologies and developments in AI that focus on content and innovation, devised to help find vital solutions for daily operations, data protection, cyber security, and many other important issues related to AI.

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