£1bn Qatar-UK climate tech deal; Two more Saudi tech mega ventures
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News!
Lots of significant news stories to share this week, perhaps the biggest being Qatar’s commitment to invest £1 billion in UK technology deals, mainly focused on climate tech. However, we also have the fact that Saudi Arabia’s new annual budget statement mentions the launch of two multi-billion technology companies planned for 2025. And - according to software company Globant - the GCC could see AI-driven Sportainment generating $8.5 billion by 2030.
Scroll down to read all the news!
Don’t forget, the World Summit AI - Qatar takes place next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. Last minute bookers click here! Middle East AI News is a Community Partner for the World Summit AI.
And also coming up is HBS D3 Institute’s AIElevate in Dubai on Friday December 13th So, if you’re interested in attending, do let me know!
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Investment
Qatar to invest £1bn in UK climate tech
#Qatar #climatetech - Qatar has announced a £1 billion investment in the UK to drive climate technology innovation. The partnership, unveiled during Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s state visit, also includes a shared Genomics Medicine Academy and a joint commission for AI research. (Middle East AI News)
Saudi 2025 budget allocates funds for new tech ventures
#Saudi #investment - Saudi Arabia’s FY 2025 budget includes funding for two new multi-billion-dollar tech projects, according to the new budget s tatement shared by the Ministry of Finance. Speculation persists over the potential announcement of a $100 billion AI group. (Middle East AI News)
Data Centres
Microsoft completes Saudi data centre construction
#Saudi #cloud - Microsoft has finished building a data centre in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The facility will enable three Azure Availability Zones and is set to be operational by 2026, bolstering the kingdom’s digital infrastructure. (Middle East AI News)
AI Policy
UAE's FNC approves new AI legislative recommendations
#UAE #AIpolicy - The Federal National Council (FNC) has provisionally approved legislative proposals under the UAE’s National Strategy for AI, presented by AI Minister H.E. Omar bin Sultan Al Olama. The recommendations aim to strengthen AI governance, update digital and data protection laws. (Middle East AI News)
Startups
Qatar's TASMU Accelerator announces 2024 cohort
#Qatar #startups - 25 start-ups have been selected for Qatar’s TASMU Accelerator 2024. Companies include Deepleaf, which uses AI for crop disease control, and Knowlepsy, specialising in data-driven neurological care. (Zawya)
Arab AI Working Group finalises strategy draft in Egypt
#Egypt #AIstrategy - The Arab AI Working Group convened in New Alamein City to finalise a draft Arab AI Strategy. The group also advanced discussions on an Arab Charter for AI Ethics. (MCIT Egypt)
Qatar launches AI-powered Huqoq legal procedures platform
#Qatar #law - Qatar’s General Authority of Customs has introduced Huqoq, an AI-powered platform to automate legal procedures. The platform streamlines processes for customs staff and brokers. (Zawya)
Saudi students excel at World Robot Olympiad
#Saudi #robotics - Two Saudi students won first place in the Arab region and ninth globally in the Future Engineers category at the World Robot Olympiad in Turkey. The competition attracted participants from 90+ countries. (Arab News)
eSports
GCC sees AI-driven Sportainment generating $8.5bln by 2030
#GCC #AI - The GCC sports economy is evolving rapidly, with AI expected to drive $8.5 billion in value for the region's media and entertainment sector by 2030, according to software company Globant. The global sports AI market is projected to reach $19.2 billion in the same period. (Zawya)
Banking
Qatar Central Bank unveils digital banking framework
#Qatar #digitalbanking - Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has launched a Regulatory Framework for Digital Banks, aimed at advancing digital banking activities in alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030. This initiative supports the Third Financial Sector Strategy and Fintech Strategy to foster financial sector innovation and digital transformation. (Zawya)
Agriculture
Egypt embraces precision agriculture to narrow food gap
#Egypt #agriculture - Egypt's National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences is advancing precision agriculture to reduce the country’s food gap. The initiative was highlighted during the African International Conference on Precision Agriculture. (Egypt Independent)
Events
World Summit AI to debut in Qatar next week
#Qatar #AI - The first-ever World Summit AI in the MENA region will take place in Qatar on December 10-11. Under Qatari government patronage, it will focus on AI innovation, governance, societal impact, and industry use cases. (Middle East AI News)
AI Elevate takes place at Museum of the Future
#UAE #AI - Harvard Business School’s Digital Data Design (D3) Institute’s first AI conference in the region takes place at Museum in the Future in Dubai on Friday December 13th. AI Elevate is organised by D3 and Harvard Business School Club of the GCC. (AI Elevate)
Film
AI Film Awards debut in Marrakech
#Morocco #film - The AI Film Awards premiered at the Marrakech International Film Festival. Partnering with École Supérieure des Arts Visuels, the event spotlighted AI’s role in cinema. (Yabiladi)
[ This newsletter was AI edited & human edited ]