The Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence (SDAIA) has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with IBM, Alibaba, and Huawei related to artificial intelligence and its applications in smart city tech, according to SDAIA President H.E. Dr. Abdullah Bin Sharaf Alghamdi. The MoUs fall in line with Saudi Arabia’s ongoing Vision 2030 initiative, which includes building new smart cities, such as the $500 billion NEOM, and transforming existing cities into smart cities. IBM’s MoU will help Saudi Arabia achieve its plans to train 20,000 Saudis in AI “real use cases” by 2030 as part of the Saudi government’s bid to match its workforce capability with the needs of the future. The SDAIA foresees real use cases for AI in the areas of health, energy, and other sectors, and its MoU with IBM will support the Kingdom’s ability to “sponsor and support emerging companies and new incubators in the national space” and position the country as a regional AI hub.
