Saudi commits $6.4 billion to future tech; InstaDeep raises $100 million
Good morning!
Here’s your weekly roundup of Middle East AI News! And it's a bumper issue today! In fact, you'll probably have to view this in your browser to see the long list of stories!
This week is a big one for the Saudi tech scene as LEAP 2022 opened in Riyadh on Tuesday, welcoming 350 speakers from across the globe, lots of big global brands, nearly 1,000 startups and, of course, legions of consultants! However, there is plenty else going on around the region too.
Scroll down to check out these and more stories below!
Stay safe and have a great day! And if you're attending LEAP, do enjoy the last day of the event!
/Carrington
LEAP 2022
Saudi Arabia ploughs $6.4bn into future tech, Minister tells LEAP — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #LEAP2022 - Saudi Arabia has invested $6.4 billion in future technologies, the Kingdom’s information technology minister Abdullah Al-Swaha told delegates at LEAP 2022. Speaking from the stage at the forum in Riyadh, Al-Swaha set out how the money was flowing from companies in the Kingdom into the sector. (Arab News)
LEAP 2022 kicks off with participation of 350 speakers from 40 countries — www.spa.gov.sa
#Saudi #LEAP22 - The global tech conference LEAP 2022 kicked of in Riyadh on Tuesday, under the theme 'One Eye on the Stars', with the participation of more than 350 speakers representing 40 countries form around the world. (SPA)
Funding
New $100 million fund set up to invest in UAE, Israeli technology start-ups — www.arabianbusiness.com
#Israel #UAE #funding - UAE-based Synaptech Capital have announced a new $100m fund aimed at investing in UAE and Israeli technology startups, supported by the Avnon Group. The fund will focus on five key pillars: fintech, insuretech, smart cities, public safety and cybersecurity. (Arabian Business)
Tunisian AI startup raises $100 million from Chimera Abu Dhabi, Google — www.zawya.com
#Tunisia #UAE #UK #funding - InstaDeep, a Tunis and London-based enterprise AI startup that creates decision-making systems, has raised $100 million in funding rounds that included Chimera Abu Dhabi and Google. The Series B financing was led by Alpha Intelligence Capital and CDIB. (Zawya)
Autonomous Vehicles
UAE’s first driverless taxi completes initial trial phase — www.thenationalnews.com
#UAE #robotaxis - More than 2,700 passengers booked Yas Island's autonomous taxi service - TXAI - over its first trial period, according to the service operator Bayanat, a subsidiary of G42 (Group 42). The trial, which took place in November and December, is the most extensive autonomous road transport trial that has been carried out in the region to-date. (The National)
Digital Transformation
KSA’s ‘accelerating’ digital shift sparks investment overhaul — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #survey - 77 per cent of Saudi Arabia's government IT decision-makers are prioritising AI for 2022 in order to optimise operations, talent development, and citizen experiences, according to a new survey from YouGov conducted on behalf of SAP. (Arab News)
Data Centres
NEOM’s $500m hyper-scale data center to boost cognitive ecosystem globally — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #datacentres - NEOMTech & Digital Company has announced the role of its giant $500 million data centre in offering global tech giants an end-to-end gateway to Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC markets. ‘ZeroPoint DC’, launched in partnership with EzdiTek, will support three data centers, operating a capacity of 36MW that can be further expanded. (Arab News)
IoT
Mobily, Cisco build region’s largest IoT Cloud Platform to boost Saudi Arabia’s digitization — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #cloud - Mobily and Cisco have announced the completion of the region’s largest Mobile IoT cloud platform, hosted in Saudi Arabia, that enables a fully-automated management for IoT devices. (Arab News)
Education
Edu-tech startup trains young Saudis in robotics — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #robotics - Saudi computer scientist, researcher and entrepreneur Mohammed Alsolami is building a robotics training business in Saudi Arabia, teaching high school and university students to build and operate robots. (Arab News)
Dubai's RTA trains staff in data science and artificial intelligence technologies — www.rta.ae
#UAE #training - Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed the training of about 190 employees on data sciences and AI technologies, which have become the backbone of all RTA’s daily operations and services provided to various spectrums of the community. (RTA)
Egypt Challenge for IoT and AI 2022 — engfac.mans.edu.eg
#Egypt #competition - Egyptian students have been invited to participate in the Egypt Challenge for the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence 2022, organised by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE TEMS), the NTRA and ITIDA. (MANS)
Drones
EA uses drones to cultivate wild trees in Bidiyah — www.muscatdaily.com
#Oman #forestry - Oman's Environment Authority has carried out the third experiment of seeding wild trees using drones in the Wilayat of Bidiyah in North Sharqiyah governorate. THe trial is part of a national programme to plant 10 million trees. (Muscat Daily)
KACST, Zain cooperate to achieve integration in drone systems — saudigazette.com.sa
#Saudi #drones - King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Zain Saudi Arabia signed an MoU for cooperation in research, development and innovation with the private sector and service providers in the field of drone systems. (Saudi Gazette)
Sohar Port uses underwater drones for ship maintenance and repair — www.ship-technology.com
#Oman #ROVs - Sohar Port is using underwater drone technology to ensure efficiency in the maintenance of ships and the port. Drones help the port improve security, speed, effectiveness, and our overall response capacity. (Ship Technology)
Defence
US Navy starts operating autonomous Saildrone Explorer in Arabian Gulf — www.naval-technology.com
#Bahrain #USVs - US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is now operating a 23ft-long, 16ft-tall Saildrone Explorer USV in the Arabian Gulf developed by US-startup Saildrone Inc, expanding U.S. 5th Fleet’s integration of unmanned systems. (Naval Tech)
Chinese drones in demand as Algeria and Egypt eye orders from world’s leading UAV exporter — www.scmp.com
#China #Algeria #Egypt #UAVs - Good payment plans and service as well as a change to US drone export policy restricting sales to American allies are boosting Chinese UAV sales. Algeria and Egypt are tipped to have ordered new drones from China. (SCMP)
U.S. cites missile, drone threat in latest UAE travel warning — www.reuters.com
#UAE #US #droneattacks - The U.S. State Department on Thursday urged Americans who may be considering travel to the United Arab Emirates to reconsider, citing the threat of missile or drone attacks. (Reuters)
Space
Sultanate of Oman inks pact to support deep space exploration in 2024 — www.omanobserver.om
#Oman #satellites - International Emerging Technologies Company (ETCO) signed an MoU with Virgin Orbit, SatRevolution and Tuatara, to launch a SatRevoution CubeSat satellite aboard a Virgin Orbit rocket in 2024. (Oman Observer)
Sport
Abu Dhabi Club World Cup: what is Fifa's new 'robo-ref'? — www.thenationalnews.com
#UAE #football - AI will be used to help referees make the right offside calls at the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi this month. A camera system under the roof of the stadium tracks the movement of each of the players and the ball. (The National)
Opinion
Data management bedrock can fuel Kingdom’s digital economy — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #data - Saudi Arabia has a vast opportunity to use data analytics to fuel its digital economy and power Vision 2030. Good data management is the bedrock that will help gain value and competitive advantage from data in the Kingdom - Mazhar Hussain, Head of Digital Science and Innovation, KPMG, Saudi Arabia (Arab News)
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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.