Latest news with #NationalStrategyforDataandArtificialIntelligence
Leaders
03-07-2025
- Science
- Leaders
SDAIA President: Over 330,000 Saudis Empowered by AI Through 'SAMAI' Initiative
Dr. Abdullah Alghamdi, President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), highlighted that Saudi Arabia now ranks first globally in empowering women in artificial intelligence and second in community awareness, according to the Stanford Index. This achievement stems from SDAIA's extensive initiatives and collaborations with various government entities. Strategic Partnership with the Ministry of Education Dr. Alghamdi praised SDAIA's strategic collaboration with the Ministry of Education, which has helped build an AI-driven educational environment aimed at enhancing Saudi Arabia's global competitiveness in advanced technologies. He stressed the importance of proactively integrating AI into educational tools to prepare for future challenges. Dr. Alghamdi emphasized that SDAIA's initiatives are guided by the National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence, launched in 2020 by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. One standout collaboration with the Ministry of Education led to the launch of several national programs: National Olympiad for Programming and AI (ATHKA Competition): Over 260,000 students participated, with 10,000 reaching the final stage. Over 260,000 students participated, with 10,000 reaching the final stage. Road to ATHKA: Trained more than 570,000 students on foundational AI concepts. Trained more than 570,000 students on foundational AI concepts. Future Intelligence Programmers: Trained over 10,000 teachers to support adaptive and intelligent learning environments. 'SAMAI' Initiative A key achievement shared by Dr. Alghamdi was the progress of the 'SAMAI' initiative, launched in partnership with the Ministries of Education and Human Resources and Social Development. The initiative aims to equip one million Saudis with AI capabilities. To date, it has already trained 334,000 citizens. To institutionalize technological advancement in education, SDAIA and the Ministry of Education have established the Center for Excellence in Education. The center focuses on sustaining future-focused initiatives and optimizing learning outcomes through AI integration. Ehsan: Model for Tech-Driven Social Impact Dr. Alghamdi also spotlighted the role of technology in social development through the National Platform for Charitable Work, Ehsan . Over four years, Ehsan has raised more than SAR12 billion, channeling funds into impactful initiatives, including: Over 2,000 educational opportunities SAR450 million in projects supporting 955,000 students Provision of school equipment, university sponsorships, and career-aligned training The Ehsan Endowment Fund has attracted more than SAR370 million in donations. It supports scholarships and grants aligned with both Vision 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting equitable access to education. Building a Nonprofit AI Ecosystem SDAIA is also nurturing a nonprofit ecosystem centered on data and AI. It oversees nine nonprofit organizations dedicated to education, public awareness, capacity building, and AI literacy. These organizations have logged over 8,100 volunteer hours with participation from more than 300 Saudi volunteers. 'SDAIA is committed to shaping a future-ready knowledge society,' Dr. Alghamdi said. 'Through sustainable models and partnerships, we're ensuring that national development is inclusive, innovative, and aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.' Related Topics: OECD Delegation Commends Saudi Arabia's School Evaluation Advancements SDAIA President Reviews Smart Makkah Center Operations to Enhance Pilgrim Services SFDA, SDAIA Sign MoU to Boost Data, AI Collaboration Saudi Interior Min.: Tourism Companies Deceive Pilgrims, Encourage Hajj Violations Intensive Preparations for Smooth, Safe Hajj Season: Mecca Deputy Govern Short link : Post Views: 19
Arab News
09-02-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi Aramco executive highlights key factors to unlock AI potential
RIYADH: Real-world data, computing power, and talent are the three key factors required to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence, according to a Saudi Aramco top official. On the first day of LEAP in Riyadh from Feb. 9-12, the executive vice president of technology and innovation at Saudi Aramco Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, discussed in his speech 'Transforming Industries with Data and AI' these main requirements crucial to Aramco's success. This falls in line with the National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence, which aims to train 40 percent of the workforce in essential skills to combat data and AI illiteracy and develop a talent pool of 20,000 data and AI specialists. It also aligns well with the strategy's target of attracting SR75 billion ($19.99 billion) in local and foreign investments, as well as supporting over 300 startups to encourage entrepreneurship. 'Maximizing its (artificial intelligence) potential requires three main elements, three main enablers. One is tremendous amounts of real-world data. You need the data first, then you need to be able to put in place computing power, computing infrastructure to be able to do the models,' Al-Khowaiter said. 'Finally, and probably the most important element, which I think we tend to forget in our excitement around technology, is you need the talent. You need the subject matter experts who can tell you if the model is telling the truth,' he added. The executive highlighted that Aramco has over 90 years of proprietary data from its extensive geological and process surveys. He explained that the company collects about 10 billion data points daily across all its facilities. Al-Khowaiter also shed light on how building capable AI models are not limited to global tech companies. He said: 'It is within the reach of enterprises, even startups, to design AI suited to their own businesses. We have believed this from the beginning, developing our own models with our own data, which is why it gives me great pleasure to introduce our latest innovation Plant Meta Brain, a time series transformer model utilizing large time series data sets.' He added: 'Using these large data sets, we're able to model the real-time processes that underlie our operations, and we are able to provide actionable insight in real-time to operators, engineers, and scientists. By working in real time with minimal user input, we anticipate demand, optimize operations, predict product qualities, and maximize production.' Al-Khowaiter explained that this approach would allow the company's experts to focus on more value-added tasks instead of troubleshooting or developing models from the ground up. 'We believe our AI is only as good as our HI, our human intelligence, and this is why we are training. More than 6000 AI developers across the company,' he said. 'We're also using the engineers, scientists and operators we already have to work with those AI developers to train new models, making them more robust and more reliable,' he added. Al-Khowaiter concluded by saying: 'Aramco is not only using our unique size and scale to maximize the use of AI on an industrial scale but our decade's worth of data.' Held under the theme 'Into New Worlds,' LEAP 2025 aims to expand business networking and investment opportunities in the tech sector. The event plays a critical role in Saudi Arabia's ambition to become a global technology hub, aligning with its Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy. As part of this initiative, the Kingdom has pledged $100 billion toward advancing its technology sector.
