Arab Coders $1m challenge; Group 42 to collaborate on Israeli space mission

Good morning,

Here’s your weekly roundup of Middle East AI News!

A belated Eid Al Adha mubarak! Obviously, less news this week due to the Eid holidays. However, I have a few interesting stories and links to share.

First of all, on Sunday, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai announced a $1 million coding challenge for graduates of the One Million Arab Coders programme. Graduates of the learning programme, which aims to empower one million Arabs with essential coding skills, are now invited to create new coding projects for a chance to win one million dollars!

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is hosting a scaled-down and tech-enabled Hajj this year. The annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, which used to see 2.5 million pilgrims, this year is expected to welcome 60,000 vaccinated Saudi residents.

Scroll down for these stories, plus Israel's space collaboration with Abu Dhabi-based Group 42, plus a list of 10 of the most exciting Saudi AI startups.

And if you're interest in Saudi Arabia's National Strategy for Digital Transformation, you may be interested to learn that the government has just updated its information page on the Kingdom's national digital transformation initiatives.

Stay safe and have a great weekend!

/Carrington

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$1m Coding Challenge

Sheikh Mohammed launches $1m coding challenge — gulfbusiness.com

#UAE #coding - Graduates of the One Million Arab Coders initiative have been urged to compete in a challenge to develop projects and solutions. The One Million Arab Coders Challenge offers a grand prize of $1m for the most innovative coding project, while five runners-up will receive $50,000 each. Four of the best trainers will also win $25,000 each. (Gulf Business)

Startup News

A Saudi-based Nybl to launch anything.ai to democratise access to AI by year-end — www.arabnews.com

#Saudi #UAE #startups - Founded in Al Khobar, visual data mining and machine learning platform Nybl plans to launch 'anything.ai' and ‘cnshield' by year-end. Nybl claims that the platforms will allow anyone to run data science without needing to know a single line of code. (Arab News)

UAE AI Summer Camp

Registration open for 3rd edition of UAE AI Summer Camp (1-31 August, 2021) — www.wam.ae

#UAE #AIskills- Registration is open for the UAE AI Summer Camp 3.0 (1-31 August, 2021) organised by The National Programme for Artificial Intelligence and the National Programme for Coders. Partners include Facebook, Microsoft, Huawei, Le Wagon, Careem and SAP. (Emirates News Agency)

Hajj

Maximum technology utilized by Saudi authorities to ensure safety of pilgrims — www.arabnews.com

#Saudi #Hajj - To ensure safety during the Hajj season and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Saudi authorities are utilising technology such as smart bracelets, and a smart robot services to help pilgrims perform their rituals in peace and comfort. (Arab News)

Saudi's SDAIA, DARP and STC launch smart bracelet project for pilgrims — www.zawya.com

#Saudi #Hajj - The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and Doyof Al Rahman Program (DARP), in partnership with STC Group, launched the Pilgrim’s Smart Bracelet (NUSK) project as a high-tech service that Saudi Arabia will begin to provide during the this year's Hajj. (Saudi Gazette)

Space

Israel's SpaceIL seeks UAE's cooperation on lunar mission, collaborating with Group 42 — www.xinhuanet.com

#Israel #UAE #space - Israel's SpaceIL, a nonprofit organisation funded by the Israeli government and private donations, said on Sunday that it plans to include Abu Dhabi-based AI and cloud computing company Group 42 in its lunar mission. (Xinhua)

Lists

10 of the most exciting AI startups in Saudi Arabia — tracxn.com

#Saudi #startups - Research and information services firm Tracxn Technologies breaks down the 10 most exciting AI startups in Saudi Arabia. (Tracxn)

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About Carrington Malin — www.carringtonmalin.com Carrington Malin helps large organisations, digital brands and fast growing tech ventures with brand, communications and go-to-market strategies.