Smart city technology company Integra City says governments need to better protect surveillance systems and build their own AI infrastructure as cyber threats grow and countries try to rely less on foreign tech.
Ilya Belyakov, Chief Technology Officer at Integra City, said the company works on “solutions for smart, safe cities and governments,” especially border security and protecting critical infrastructure.
“Our flagship solution for safe cities is Nexus,” he said. “It is a combination of infrastructure, hardware, and software that allows us to create a ‘safe zone’ protected against external attacks.”
Growing fears over surveillance hacks
Belyakov said recent global incidents show how vulnerable surveillance systems can be.
“If you have been following the news recently, you will see a lot of information regarding these breaches,” he said. “For instance, in Iran, the surveillance system was hacked, allowing outside actors to monitor everything happening on the ground.”
He said these incidents are becoming more common.
“Protecting your own surveillance network is key to maintaining certainty against potential attacks and destabilisation.”
The company develops security tools designed to stop attacks on surveillance networks, which it sees as part of critical infrastructure.
Countries want more control over AI
Integra City says many countries still depend on foreign companies for AI and smart city technology.
“Many leading countries develop their own internal solutions and sell them globally, which essentially makes you dependent on their technology,” Belyakov said.
The company promotes building local AI data centres so governments can control their own systems and data instead of relying on outside providers.
Running AI on older hardware
Integra City also promotes a tool that reduces how much computing power AI systems need through a process called neural network quantisation.
“This technology significantly reduces the load on a data centre without losing any quality,” Belyakov said. “You don’t need equipment that just came out of the oven five minutes ago. You can take hardware released five years ago and it will still run these models perfectly.”
This method reduces the size of AI models and lets older computers run advanced tasks like facial recognition or traffic analysis. The company says this can cut costs and reduce electronic waste.
Morocco’s smart city push
Morocco is speeding up its digital plans under the Digital Morocco 2030 strategy.
Rabat is installing more than 4,000 smart cameras that use AI to read licence plates and detect suspicious behaviour. The focus on security is also linked to preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Worldwide, ransomware attacks on infrastructure such as water systems and traffic networks have increased in early 2026, raising concerns about the safety of connected city systems.
In March 2025, Morocco’s National Commission for the Protection of Personal Data began hearings to regulate facial recognition technology, showing the growing debate over privacy and security.
Integra City says its Nexus platform connects cameras, sensors, traffic systems and emergency services into one secure system designed to create a protected “safe zone” for cities.
