Saudi Arabia & UAE lead in sovereign AI adoption
17% of Saudi and UAE enterprises make sovereign AI a top priority
#SaudiArabia #UAE #sovereignty - Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the highest level of adoption for sovereign AI, with a 17% adoption rate, exceeding a global average of 13%, according to new research from database company EDB (EnterpriseDB). According to the report, the 'Deeply Committed' organisations prioritising AI and data sovereignty generate five times greater return on investment (ROI) from AI compared their peers whilst deploying twice as many mainstream AI applications. The region’s leadership aligns directly with national strategies such as the Saudi Arabia's National Strategy for Data and AI (NSDAI) and the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, positioning both nations as global leaders in secure, compliant AI innovation.
SO WHAT? - The EDB research reflects the concerted effort being made by large government and private sector enterprises in Saudi Arabia and the UAE to retain AI and data sovereignty, aligning with government directives. Both countries have championed AI adoption at the highest level of national leadership, and introduced national AI strategies that are supported by regulations for data protection, data governance and cloud computing. Government and commercial sectors are investing heavily in sovereign AI and data infrastructure and services as a result.
Here are some key details about the new report:
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the highest level of adoption for sovereign AI, with a 17% adoption rate, exceeding a global average of 13%, according to new research. The report from from database company EDB (EnterpriseDB) found that the two countries had the highest proportion of organisations categorised as 'Deeply Committed', globally.
The levels of sovereign AI adoption in these countries align with national strategies including the Kingdom’s National Strategy for Data and AI (NSDAI) and the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031.
The research surveyed 2,050 enterprise executives across 13 countries, including 175 interviews specifically conducted in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Organisations prioritising AI sovereignty generate five times higher ROI from AI investments, deploy twice as many mainstream applications, and demonstrate 2.5 times greater confidence in industry leadership capabilities.
Key sovereignty priorities include security and resilience (85% of respondents), data localisation within national borders (74%), and maintaining full data ownership and control (72%).
Globally, 95% of enterprises aim to establish sovereign AI and data platforms within three years, with 25% targeting immediate implementation and 75% within one year.
Research indicates that over 50% of AI experiments never reach production globally, whilst only 1% of production AI delivers transformational business value.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
LINK
Download the report (EDB website)