The Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) organized a 'Digital Horizons Seminar' to discuss AI governance and strategies in Oman. The seminar, held at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM), aimed to explore the ethical implications, challenges, and opportunities presented by AI technologies. Discussions covered regulatory frameworks and policies necessary for responsible AI adoption in line with Oman's Vision 2040. Why it matters: This seminar signals Oman's proactive approach to AI governance, essential for fostering innovation while mitigating potential risks.
Conor McMenamin from Universitat Pompeu Fabra presented a seminar on State Machine Replication (SMR) without honest participants. The talk covered the limitations of current SMR protocols and introduced the ByRa model, a framework for player characterization free of honest participants. He then described FAIRSICAL, a sandbox SMR protocol, and discussed how the ideas could be extended to real-world protocols, with a focus on blockchains and cryptocurrencies. Why it matters: This research on SMR protocols and their incentive compatibility could lead to more robust and secure blockchain technologies in the region.
Associate Professor Anamaria Costache from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) will present a seminar on Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE). The talk will cover recent advancements in FHE, its mathematical foundations, and implementation results. It will also address remaining challenges in the field. Why it matters: FHE's growing importance is driven by Machine Learning as a Service and the increasing value of secure computation, though the seminar itself has no direct connection to the Middle East.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been evaluating Post-Quantum Cryptography proposals since 2017. Lattice-based schemes have emerged as efficient candidates for Key Encapsulation Mechanisms (KEM) and Digital Signatures. This talk will cover the core operations within lattice-based schemes and efficient implementation strategies. Why it matters: As quantum computing advances, exploring and standardizing post-quantum cryptography is crucial for maintaining secure communication and data protection in the future.
The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is hosting an AI seminar by Kajetan Schweighofer on October 28, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM GST. TII describes itself as a global research center focused on discovery science and transformative technologies. The seminar series is part of TII's efforts to share its developments and research. Why it matters: Such seminars contribute to the growth of the AI ecosystem in the UAE by facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration.
CINVESTAV-IPN's Computer Science Department hosted a seminar by Prof. Francisco Rodriguez-Henriquez on isogeny-based key exchange protocols. The talk reviewed Supersingular Isogeny-based Diffie-Hellman (SIDH) and Commutative Supersingular Isogeny-based Diffie-Hellman (CSIDH). Isogeny-based protocols offer short key sizes but have higher latency compared to other post-quantum cryptosystems. Why it matters: This seminar contributes to the exploration of post-quantum cryptography, an important area for ensuring data security against future quantum computing threats.
Prof. Daniel Panario gave a seminar on irreducible polynomials over finite fields and their applications in cryptography. The seminar covered how finite fields are used as basic components in many cryptographic applications. It surveyed families of irreducible polynomials and commented on their properties. Why it matters: The talk highlights the mathematical foundations and ongoing research relevant to cryptographic implementations in the region.