Microsoft AI Tour Riyadh highlights how widespread adoption of AI is unlocking economic growth in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
4 February 2025; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Microsoft's highly anticipated AI Tour took place today in Riyadh, spotlighting the remarkable progress that the Kingdom has made in leveraging the latest cloud and AI technologies to drive economic growth and transformation. The global event arrives at a pivotal moment, as Saudi organizations continue to accelerate AI adoption across industries, delivering tangible results that align with the ambitious goals of Vision 2030.The event brought together developers, innovators, and business leaders from key organizations in both the public and private sectors, as well as Microsoft executives including Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President, Business & Industry Copilot at Microsoft, Jessica Hawk, Corporate Vice President, Data, AI and Digital Applications, Microsoft Product Marketing and Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Security.During his engagements with leaders from businesses and government entities, Lamanna observed the speed at which institutions across the Kingdom have advanced their AI transformation journeys in recent months, leveraging Microsoft's cutting-edge cloud and AI solutions to build advanced applications that streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and drive sustainable growth. From helping automate workflows in manufacturing to optimizing supply chains in retail and enhancing customer experiences in banking, the tangible benefits of AI are already transforming industries across the Kingdom.'Public and private sector enterprises in Saudi Arabia have demonstrated extraordinary progress in harnessing the power of AI and cloud technologies to transform industries, enhance productivity, and create new economic opportunities,' Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President, Business & Industry Copilot at Microsoft said on the sidelines of the event. 'The nation's commitment to cloud adoption as the foundation for its AI transformation is paving the way for remarkable achievements. I am thrilled to see the incredible progress being made across Saudi Arabia.'One of the key enablers of this rapid progress is Microsoft's upcoming datacenter region in Saudi Arabia, which represents a major milestone in the Kingdom's digital transformation journey. This state-of-the-art datacenter region will offer enterprise-grade reliability and performance while adhering to the highest standards of data residency, privacy, and security. With the construction of all three Azure availability zones now complete and availability anticipated in 2026, the datacenter region underscores Microsoft's commitment to fostering innovation, resilience, and growth in the Kingdom.Turki Badhris, President of Microsoft Arabia, in his address, reinforced Microsoft's commitment to accelerating AI adoption across Saudi Arabia. 'As organizations across the Kingdom embrace AI to unlock new efficiencies and drive innovation, Microsoft remains dedicated to providing the cutting-edge technologies, expertise, and global best practices needed to support their transformation journeys. By fostering a vibrant AI ecosystem, we are empowering businesses, government entities, and developers to harness the full potential of AI and contribute to the Kingdom's ambitious Vision 2030 goals.'During a conversation on stage with Lamanna, His Excellency Haytham Alohali, Vice Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), praised Microsoft's efforts to support AI transformation in Saudi Arabia. 'Microsoft has become a cornerstone in Saudi Arabia as we build a global hub for technology and innovation during the AI revolution. Their work in the Kingdom showcases the power of partnerships in fostering sustainable growth and societal progress.'Lamanna also met with leaders from leading organizations across key industries in Saudi Arabia that have harnessed AI technologies to drive tangible business impact:· Obeikan Investment Group, a pioneer in digital transformation, harnessed Azure OpenAI and IoT technologies to transform manufacturing operations. By implementing a smart factory platform in 22 of its manufacturing facilities, Obeikan achieved a 30% increase in overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), a 1.5-fold increase in labor productivity and a 30% reduction in costs, as well as significant reductions in waste and energy consumption. The company was also able to reduce downtime across its facilities. These advancements are a testament to the power of AI in driving sustainability and operational excellence.· stc Group, the kingdom's leading digital enabler, collaborated with Microsoft to develop a family of AI applications called the 'stc AI Marketplace' using Azure Open AI. The AI-powered applications are designed to significantly improve customer experience, drive operational efficiencies, and reduce costs. The stc AI Marketplace has streamlined operations across the company's sales team to improve customer interactions by providing them with all the relevant information, thereby increasing sales and reducing seller call time.· Gameit, an innovative Saudi startup, leveraged Azure OpenAI to develop AI-powered games for children that enhance cognitive skills such as attention, memory, logical reasoning, auditory and visual perception and social skills. The games are scientifically designed to help all school students, including those facing learning challenges. Gameit also used Microsoft Azure services to develop AI-powered intelligent platforms to provide personalized learning experiences, with adaptive tutors that generate games which evolve at each child's own pace and according to their unique needs, helping to build essential skillsets in a way that's both effective and enjoyable. Gameit is the first startup from Saudi Arabia published on Azure Market place.· Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden), the largest mining company in the Middle East, adopted Microsoft 365 Copilot to help employees spend less time on administrative tasks and instead focus on more strategic tasks out in the field. Over a period of six months, employees were able to significantly enhance their productivity, saving around 27 minutes per day that were previously spent on unnecessary meetings, 14 minutes on searching for and summarizing documents, and 18 minutes on creating high-quality content. Collectively, employees were able to save over 2,000 hours per month by utilizing the solution.
· Diriyah, the historic birthplace of the first Saudi state and home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of At-Turaif, has partnered with Microsoft to drive innovation and support Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. Through adopting advanced tools like the 'CXQA AI Agent' built with Copilot Studio, Diriyah is empowering its teams to enhance customer experiences, analyze data to uncover key trends, develop tailored solutions, and efficiently manage complex on-site operations. Embracing a digital-first approach, Diriyah Company is redefining operational excellence and solidifying its position as a leading developer in the Kingdom.
Microsoft's AI Tour Riyadh, supported by stc as the Premium Sponsor, underscores the company's long-standing commitment to Saudi Arabia, where it has been present for over 25 years. In addition to highlighting the incredible potential of AI to transform industries, empower individuals, and contribute to the Kingdom's ambitious Vision 2030 objectives, the event also celebrates a new era of innovation and collaboration in Saudi Arabia.
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