Latest news with #SaudiDataandAIAuthority
Leaders
14-05-2025
- Business
- Leaders
SDAIA, NVIDIA Explore Partnership Opportunities in Data, AI
The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) and NVIDIA have explored ways to strengthen cooperation and develop their strategic partnership across various tech projects, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). On Wednesday, the President of SDAIA, Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi, met with the founder and CEO of NVIDIA, Jensen Huang, and his accompanying delegation in Riyadh. During their meeting, both sides discussed ways to bolster cooperation between SDAIA and NVIDIA. They also explored opportunities for boosting their strategic partnership in existing tech projects, involving capacity building and expertise exchange in the field of data and artificial intelligence (AI) in the light of the accelerating progress in its technologies. معالي رئيس #سدايا يلتقي بالرياض الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة NVIDIA، ويبحثان سبل تعزيز التعاون المشترك في مجال البيانات والذكاء الاصطناعي. — SDAIA (@SDAIA_SA) May 14, 2025 The meeting aligns with SDAIA's relentless efforts to expand its international partnerships with leading tech companies across the world. It also underscores SDAIA's commitment to increase investments in enhancing Saudi Arabia's AI ecosystem, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030 which aims to build an advanced digital economy based on knowledge and innovation and position the Kingdom among the best data and AI-based economies. The meeting came on the sidelines of a landmark visit by the US President, Donald Trump, to Saudi Arabia on May 13-14, 2025. Trump was accompanied by a high-level delegation including CEOs of leading American companies and investors who attended the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh. The Forum saw the signing of $300 billion deals between Saudi Arabia and the US. Short link : Post Views: 14
Asharq Al-Awsat
10-04-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
AlUla Joins Five Saudi Cities in IMD Smart City Index 2025
AlUla has been included in the Smart City Index 2025, issued by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), alongside five other Saudi cities: Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al-Khobar. This milestone highlights the progress of Saudi Vision 2030 in advancing smart city transformation, driven by pioneering initiatives led by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) in collaboration with various government entities, according to SPA. These efforts aim to develop cities that uphold the highest quality of life standards. AlUla's inclusion in the index for the first time this year underscores Saudi Arabia's ambitious plans to transform the city into a premier heritage, cultural, and tourism destination. This is achieved by leveraging AI-powered technologies to preserve archaeological sites while enhancing the visitor experience through innovative digital solutions. These include smart mobility services, crowd management systems, and interactive applications that provide an immersive and efficient way to explore the city.
Arab News
20-03-2025
- Business
- Arab News
An AI strategy for workforce empowerment
Most companies today are streamlining workflows and strengthening their competitive edge with artificial intelligence. They know preparation is critical to staying ahead in the rapidly growing AI-powered digital economy, both locally and globally. Around the world, corporate investments in AI have skyrocketed from $14.57 billion in 2013 to $189 billion in 2023 — a 13-fold increase, according to WisdomTree, a global asset manager specializing in exchange-traded funds. In Saudi Arabia, the AI market was valued at $1.52 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $9.33 billion by 2030, BlueWeave Consulting reports. Yet, many businesses aiming to become 'AI-enabled' overlook a key lesson from Saudi Arabia's national AI strategy: successful transformation requires more than just technology. Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has prioritized the industry through its National Strategy for Data and AI, fostering investments, favorable policies, and workforce development to create a thriving ecosystem. At LEAP 2025, the Kingdom's flagship tech conference, AI-related projects worth $14.9 billion were signed on the first day alone. These included international partnerships to bring cutting-edge capabilities to Saudi Arabia. This while showcasing its innovations such as the Saudi Data and AI Authority's ALLaM, a series of large-language models in Arabic. The government has also launched initiatives including the Generative AI Academy, offering training programs in collaboration with NVIDIA to equip the workforce with essential skills. Recognizing that technology alone is insufficient, Saudi Arabia emphasizes empowering people to fully harness AI's potential. The government recognizes that AI leadership requires more than just adopting or developing technology. To be effective, the workforce must be equipped with the right mindset and skills to harness its full value. This lesson resonates with businesses today. When the internet became widely available in 1999, its potential was undeniable — yet many Saudi businesses hesitated. By 2001, more than 1 million Saudis were online, but fax machines remained common in offices, according to the Communications, Space & Technology Commission. Organizations were slow to trust and adopt the internet as a core business tool. Today, AI represents a pivotal moment of transformation. While businesses have access to AI tools, many struggle to move beyond the planning or pilot phase. This highlights a key truth: even with immense potential, technology's value can only be unlocked with the buy-in and drive of people. If Saudi Arabia's current and future workforce is not aware of AI's potential or comfortable using it collaboratively, the Kingdom risks falling behind. Over the years, business owners have often asked me, along the following lines: 'Why won't my team use the new AI tool we've invested in?' Employees must view AI as a tool that enhances their work — not one that replaces them. Without this foundation, AI initiatives risk resistance and underutilization. Hatem S. Al-Mandeel My response is always: 'Do your people know what the tool does and how they're allowed to use it?' The answer is often hesitant: 'I assume so, but I'll need to check internally.' If the answer is not an immediate yes, there is a problem. AI can feel disruptive or unwelcoming to employees — just as the internet once did. In many cases I have encountered, employees are not even aware AI is being discussed at work. This brings me to my first piece of advice: build a clear AI mission statement and communicate it often. Clarity and repetition are crucial for gaining internal support. Employees need to understand not just what AI adoption means for the business but why it matters and how it impacts their roles. However, a mission statement alone is not enough. The next step is building awareness and foundational skills. Employees must view AI as a tool that enhances their work — not one that replaces them. Without this foundation, AI initiatives risk resistance and underutilization. My final advice: identify AI advocates within your workforce. These individuals exist in every organization and thrive when their curiosity and skills are recognized. They can play a vital role in driving AI education and adoption from within. One business owner I spoke with recently discovered his team members were not using an AI tool simply because they did not know it could help with daily tasks. After bringing in for awareness training, usage increased significantly. The path forward for Saudi Arabia businesses is clear: the rise of the AI-powered digital economy presents an opportunity for the Kingdom to become a global leader. To achieve this, businesses must learn from national initiatives — AI transformation is not just about adopting technology; it is about empowering people to extract its full value. If you are defining your AI strategy or concerned about its impact, start by enabling your workforce with awareness and skills. • Hatem S. Al-Mandeel is the managing director and co-founder of
Asharq Al-Awsat
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Crown Prince Donate SAR70 Mln to National Charity Campaign
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, donated on Friday SAR70 million to Saudi Arabia's fifth National Campaign for Charitable Work through the Ehsan Platform. The campaign kicked off on Friday. King Salman contributed SAR40 million, while Crown Prince Mohammed donated SAR30 million. The donations reflect the continued commitment of the Saudi leadership to charitable and humanitarian efforts, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. They highlight their dedication to strengthening social solidarity and community cohesion. Chairman of Ehsan Platform's supervisory committee Majid Al-Kassabi expressed gratitude to the leadership for their significant contributions. Such generous support demonstrates the Kingdom's commitment to facilitating charitable acts with transparency and efficiency, he stressed. Donations to the campaign can be made via the Ehsan Platform's website, mobile app, the unified number, or designated bank accounts. The Ehsan Platform operates with support from the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), ensuring compliance with Shariah guidelines under the supervision of a dedicated Shariah committee.
Arab News
27-02-2025
- Business
- Arab News
How Saudi Arabia is using advanced automated systems to tackle traffic congestion
RIYADH: Congestion is a major concern for residents of Saudi Arabia's cities. Commuters in Riyadh alone lose an average of 52 hours in traffic annually, according to a 2024 estimate. While projects like the Riyadh Metro, which opened the last of its lines in January, are doing their part to ease the flow of cars, the city's population is still projected to grow from around 8 million today to 9.6 million in 2030, presenting further challenges. The Saudi Data and AI Authority, in collaboration with government entities, has developed several systems that generate vast amounts of information on road traffic, ranging from a macro, citywide level to individual streets. One of these is the Sawaher system, a national platform designed to analyze streams of images and videos using artificial intelligence and computer vision, providing real-time insights. One of its key use cases is in traffic management. Another is the Smart C platform, which leverages data and artificial intelligence technologies to monitor, analyze, and predict operational indicators, supporting decision-making in smart city management. 'Riyadh is becoming a very busy city, so we need to be innovative, we need to act fast,' Mohammed Al-Buqami, general manager of product development at SDAIA's Estishraf, told Arab News. The system developed by SDAIA analyzes data in detail, identifying accident hotspots and comparing seasonal fluctuations. Areas with a high number of fatal accidents are assessed for whether or not signage or road infrastructure can be improved to cut down on collisions. 'Ramadan specifically will have different spots than any other month in the year,' Al-Buqami said, as working hours and commuting patterns shift during the holy month. When a recent event in Riyadh attracted a huge number of visitors, it caused a ripple effect of congestion. That is why SDAIA, in collaboration with government entities, decided to develop a new tool 'to ensure that traffic at the gate does not cause congestion in the surrounding area or impact major roads,' Al-Buqami said. Looking to the future and problems that may arise from a rising population, SDAIA is working to introduce new technologies, and recently carried out a bootcamp for budding AI experts who came up with the idea for a robot that detects cracks, potholes, and puddles on the city's roads, as well as an automated accident response system. While SDAIA is on the cutting edge of data analytics and automated traffic management, the Kingdom has been implementing advanced technology solutions for road safety for more than a decade. Saher, the automated penalty system, was developed in 2009 and launched the following year by the Ministry of Interior, using a network of cameras and radars. When cameras detect a violation such as speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, texting while driving, or other such offenses, the system retrieves the vehicle owner's details from the database and automatically issues a fine sent to the driver via SMS. 'The Saher system illustrates how AI and automation can revolutionize traffic enforcement and improve road safety,' Hasan Al-Ahmadi, associate professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, told Arab News. Saher operates continuously, ensuring consistent enforcement of traffic laws without relying on human oversight. • By the end of 2023, Saudi Arabia had 15.1 million roadworthy vehicles — a 6.2 percent increase from 2022. • In 2016, the country's road traffic fatality rate was 28.8 per 100,000 people. • Vision 2030 reforms have cut road deaths by 54 percent, dropping to 13.6 per 100,000 from 2016 to 2023. It can identify and track road users moving through cities, automatically recognizing number plates and allowing law enforcement officers to pinpoint stolen or wanted vehicles. Saher cameras are placed at regular intervals and their watchful eye can detect infractions as minor as changing lanes excessively or not leaving enough room between vehicles. The system uses machine learning to study driver behaviors over time, identifying trends such as habitual speeding or repeated violations. Insights from this analysis are used for educational campaigns or stricter penalties for repeat offenders, said Al-Ahmadi, who has published a number of research papers on automation and road safety in Saudi Arabia. The professor noted that a number of studies have shown decreases of up to 30 percent in speeding violations and red-light infractions since Saher was introduced. In Dammam, accident rates dropped by approximately 20 percent, while congestion was reduced by around 20 percent in Dammam and Jeddah. Meanwhile, studies also show that emergency response times improved by between 20-30 percent, Al-Ahmadi said. In 2016, road accidents were the leading cause of death in Saudi Arabia. A total of 21 people were killed in crashes every day — almost one every hour. These findings spurred the government into action. By 2023, fatal accidents had fallen by 54 percent. Data and analytics were a key part of this success, with the number of road cameras increasing by 320 percent from 2016 to 2021, according to a World Health Organization report. Analyzing data from the country's death registry also played a part. Al-Ahmadi sees a future where even more advanced technology can play a part in making Saudi Arabia's roads safer. Drone technology could be used for real-time traffic monitoring in areas with limited camera coverage, he said. Integrating intersection management systems with self-driving vehicles could be another advanced solution. Al-Ahmadi also suggested that monitoring technology could be upgraded to analyze drivers' facial expressions, blink rates, and head movements to detect fatigue or distraction. As Saudi Arabia moves towards a more sustainable society, automated systems could also monitor vehicle emissions and impose penalties in high-pollution zones, Al-Ahmadi added. While the Kingdom's cities continue to grow at a rapid rate, the problem of congestion and road safety is not going anywhere. However, with a combination of automated technology and continuous monitoring, as well as the introduction of new infrastructure projects, officials have found early success in reducing fatalities and look poised to keep the issue at bay.
