Riyadh's new startup hub; KAUST shortlisted for Gordan Bell prize
Riyadh's new startup hub; KAUST shortlisted for Gordan Bell prize
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News!
The biggest news today, is that I’ll be hosting my first Middle East AI News LIVE event on LinkedIn at 12 noon KSA / 1pm UAE time today! Wish me luck!
Of course, I’ll be trying to cram as much value into my hour-long LinkedIn Audio Event as I can. So, this will not be a podcast to listen to personal biographies, hearsay or general ‘lay of the land’ type content. My focus for this is AI-related news, the context and trends behind the news, plus insights from experts in the region,
In today’s Middle East AI News LIVE, I’ll be talking to Anas Agag, general manager of New Native about The Garage and Saudi Arabia’s Generative AI Accelerator programme. I’ll also be talking to Ayman Alashkar, founder of Overwrite.ai, about the region’s hype around GenAI and how businesses should weigh the risks.
Meanwhile scroll down for all this week’s AI and emerging tech news, as usual! This week’s top stories include the opening of The Garage at KACST, Qatar restarting its autonomous vehicles plans, SDAIA launching a nationwide awareness campaign for the new Saudi data law, and KAUST and Cerebras Systems being shortlisted for the Gordan Bell Prize for high performance computing!
Lastly, you may be interested to know that DIFC issued a ‘Drivers of innovation in financial services‘ report yesterday. You can download the new report here.
And, click the banner below for more details of Middle East AI News LIVE!
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Startups
Massive space for tech startups opens in Riyadh
#Saudi #startups - The Garage, the Middle East's biggest innovation district, was officially opened this week at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 28,000 square meter building is now home to a variety of startup programmes, including the region's first generative AI Accelerator, GAIA. (Arab News)
Autonomous Vehicles
Qatar announces 5-year driverless vehicles strategy
#Qatar #AVstrategy - Qatar's Ministry of Transport has announced a national Self-Driving Vehicles Strategy, together with a 5-year plan. The plan aims to develop autonomous vehicle (AV) regulations for Qatar, and to provide provide smart, sustainable transport. (Middle East AI News)
Saudi Arabia unveils road map to enable 5.9 GHz band
#Saudi #frequencyallocation - Saudi Arabia's Communication, Space, and Technology Commission (CST) has unveiled a road map to enable 5.9 GHz band, for Vehicle-to-Everything technology (V2X). (Saudi Gazette via Zawya)
Saudi Data Law
SDAIA launches PDPL awareness campaign
#Saudi #datalaw - Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has launched a nationwide awareness campaign for the country's new Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL). Called - Ask Before - the campaign aims to underscore the significance of personal data and the importance of safeguarding it. (Telecom Review)
Generative AI
Dubai’s Address Hotel AI concierge says go stay at Burj Al Arab
#UAE #AIchatbots - Address Hotels and Resorts in Dubai announced the launch of a virtual hospitality concierge. However, in conversation with Arabian Business, the Address Hotel chatbot suggested Burj Al Arab as its hotel of choice! (Arabian Business)
Education
SDAIA launches 'Open Data Datathon’
#Saudi #datascience - Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has launched an Open Data Datathon, which will run from 26-28 October and aims at improving skills in data science and technologies. Registration is open until 30 September. (SPA)
CST launches Space Challenge Camp
#Saudi #space - Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space, and Technology Commission (or CST), has launched a two-week ‘Space Challenge Camp’, targeting undergraduate students and fresh graduates. Competitions will challenge participants to design innovative solutions to problems faced by astronauts. (SPA)
R&D
KAUST and Cerebras named Gordon Bell Award finalist
#Saudi #HPC - A project of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia’s premier research university, and AI high performance computing company Cerebras Systems, has been shortlisted for the prestigious HPC 2023 Gordon Bell Prize. The multi-dimensional seismic processing uses the Condor Galaxy AI supercomputer, built by Cerebras and G42. (BusinessWire)
Digital Transformation
Abdul Latif Jameel partners with Amazon for digital transformation
#Saudi #digitaltransformation - Abdul Latif Jameel teamed up with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to foster digital transformation and drive innovation. The Saudi firm is developing a enterprise-wide analytics, machine learning, and generative AI programme to introduce new applications across a wide range of industries. (Zawya)
Electric Vehicles
Elon Musk denies Wall Street Journal report
#Saudi #EVs #Tesla - The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia is in early talks with U.S. electric automaker Tesla to set up a manufacturing facility in the kingdom, ‘citing sources familiar with the matter’. The report was quickly denied by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. (Arab News)
Healthcare
Jeddah students use AI to help visually impaired
#Saudi #healthcare - Students from the University of Jeddah on Saudi Arabia's southwest coast have been awarded first place in the Graduate Support Initiative in Riyadh, organized by the Saudi Data Community. The student team used AI technologies to help visually impaired people navigate their environment. (Arab News)
Emirates Health Services to use AI to improve patient monitoring
#UAE #healthcare - Emirates Health Services, the UAE's federal goverment provider of health services and medical fitness assessments, has signed an M.O.U. with smart care platform Care.AI to use generative AI. The authority plans to use GenAI for patient room monitoring systems. (Emirates News Agency)
Industry 4.0
UAE recruits dozens of Industry 4.0 assessors
#UAE #Industry4 - The UAE's Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology has certified more than 40 assessors to support the rollout of its Industrial Technology Transformation Index, and help manufacturers embrace Industry 4.0. The ministry uses the index to create a roadmap for the digital transformation of each manufacturer. (Emirates News Agency)
Smart Cities
Dubai RTA rolls out 32 smart kiosks
#UAE #smartservices - Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a new generation of 32 smart kiosks in 21 different locations. The 24-hour automated customer service kiosk provide 28 different digital services related to vehicle licensing, drivers, parking, Nol, and revenue management services. (Khaleej Times)
Environment
Pixiedrone to collect floating waste in Dubai Harbour Marinas
#UAE #drones - Pixiedrone, the UAE's first unmanned floating waste collector has been deployed at the seafront district Dubai Harbour to collect debris floating on the water's surface. Manufacturered by French startup The Searial Cleaners, the Pixiedrone is fitted with a video camera and remote sensing LIDAR technology to identify debris. (Gulf News)
Defence
US, Saudi forces complete Red Sands anti-drone drill
#Saudi #counterdrone - US and Saudi forces have completed the Middle East's biggest ever counter-drone military exercise, at the Red Sands joint training centre in Saudi Arabia. The exercise follows an initial joint exercise in March. (Al Arabiya)
