Saudi launches 'GenAI for All'; Saudi Post to deploy 200 robots
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News!
Again, too much news for the space in this newsletter today! This week saw announcements coming out of a number of key events around the region, including Arab Health in Dubai, the Oman AI Summit and the third general meeting of the Saudi-backed Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) Saudi Arabia yesterday announced a ‘GenAI for all’ initiative at the DCO, although few details are available.
Scroll down for news from around the Middle East and North Africa.
Later today, I’ll be hosting Middle East AI News LIVE - THURSDAY DEEP DIVE on LinkedIn at 12 noon KSA | 1pm UAE time | 9am GMT!
I’ll be talking to Anas Agag, managing partner of New Native in Saudi Arabia about Riyadh’s GenAI accelerator GAIA and its third cohort of GenAI startups from around the world.
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Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Saudi launches 'GenAI for All' at DCO
#Saudi #DCO - Saudi Arabia launched a 'Generative Artificial Intelligence for All' initiative for members of the Digital Cooperation Organization. Launched in 2020 by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Pakistan, the DCO now has 16 members with a core mandate to promote 'digital prosperity for all'. The announcement was made at the organisation's third general assembly, chaired by Bahrain. The new initiative will be managed by the UNESCO-rated International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics (ICAIRE), which was recently established by Saudi Data and Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). (SPA) See my LinkedIn post for more.
Startups
Roboost secures 3 million in funding
#Egypt #funding - Cairo-based fleet management software startup Roboost, has secured $3 million in funding, in a round led by Silicon Badia, with contributions from RZM Investment, Flat6Labs, and Saudi Angel Investors. Roboost uses AI to automate and optimise home delivery operations. (VentureBurn)
DXwand raises $4 million
#Egypt #UAE #funding - Cairo and Dubai-based AI start-up DXwand, which has developed an Arabic-English text and voice conversation platform, raised $4 million in its Series A equity round. The funding round was led by UAE-based Shorooq Partners and Egypt-based Algebra Ventures, with investment from Dubai Future District Fund. (Zawya)
MBZUAI startup accelerator concludes first cohort
#UAE #startups - The first 12 AI startups have graduated from Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence’s inaugural Entrepreneurship Course, organised by the university's Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center and Abu Dhabi-based startup accelerator, startAD. (MBZUAI)
AI Factory accelerator starts in Tunisia
#Tunisia #startups - Twelve AI startups are taking part in the the AI Factory program for artificial intelligence, which begins today in Tunisia, at the Novation City technology park. The AI Factory is a six-month accelerator program designed to support seed-stage AI startups. (Entarabi)
Robots
Saudi Post to deploy 200 robots
#Saudi #robotics - Logistics technology company IQ Robotics, has signed an agreement with Saudi Post Corporation, and Alkhereiji Group, for an extensive robotics transformation project. The project will see 200 advanced robots deployed to process orders and automate sorting operations. (Zawya)
Red Sea Global deploys beach cleaning robot
#Saudi #environment - Red Sea Global, the developer of new Saudi Arabian tourist developments. The Red Sea, and Amaala, has deployed its first beach cleaning robot. Developed by coastal waste management experts The Searial Cleaners, the robot screens sand, rakes seaweed, levels out expanses of beach, and collects all waste from the sand, even if buried. (SPA)
Bisha Municipality introduces first service robot
#Saudi #robots - Bisha Municipality, in the south-west of Saudi Arabia, has commissioned its first smart robot to provide interactive services to customers. The new service robot welcoming visitors, storing customer data and connecting with municipal transactions systems. (Arab News)
GenAI
DEWA embraces Microsoft Copilots
#UAE #GenAI - Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has become one of the first organisations in the world - and the first government entity in the UAE - to provide its employees with the smart assistants Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Security Copilot. (Zawya)
RPA
Ministry of Finance bots save 39,000 hours
#UAE #RPA - The UAE's Ministry of Finance has completed phase two of its robotic process automation (RPA) programmme. The ministry now uses bots for 63 processes and subprocesses, reducing errors by 95% and saving 39,000 hours of human labour. (Emirates News Agency)
Healthcare
DHA lightens burden of diabetes
#UAE #diabetes - Dubai Health Authority's system for monitoring healthcare quality, EJADA AI, is actively easing the financial burden of diabetes patients by 30%. The system identifies individuals most susceptible to diabetes risks and manages proactive disease prevention. (Emirates News Agency)
Smart Cities
$95 million upgrade for Dubai transport passes
#UAE #transport - Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded a 350 million dirham contract - equivalent to 95 million dollars - to upgrade its existing NOL card-based ticketing system, to central wallet technology, whilst enhancing trip planning and smart features. (Dubai Media Office)
Sharjah upgrades traffic lights with AI
#UAE #traffic - Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority (SRTA) has upgraded 48 traffic lights across the city with artificial intelligence. The system use a combination of sensors and cameras to capture data for real-time analysis, and optimise the timing of traffic lights according to traffic flow and direction. (The National)
Data centres
Malaysia, UAE signs digital infrastructure partnership
#UAE #Malaysia - UAE and Malaysia have entered into a strategic partnership to boost digital infrastructure development. The Ministry of Investment of the UAE and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia signed an agreement to include 500 megawatts of new data centre projects. (Zawya)
Sohar Port signs data centre deal
#Oman #datacentres - Sohar Port and Freezone has signed a deal with crypto mining company Green Data City to build a $210 million data centre. The company will develop a 45,000-square-metre site that will house 20,000 servers. (Muscat Daily)
Biotech
Saudi launches national biotechnology strategy
#Saudi #biotechnology - Saudi Arabia has launched a national biotechnology strategy to lead global innovation and improve the health of the nation. The strategy will establish cutting-edge local end-to-end bio-manufacturing platform and highlights genomics, with a focus on pioneering research and gene therapy. (Arab News)
Education
Tunisian AI college to promote wider ecosystem
#Tunisia #education - The Pristini School of AI in Tunisia, plans to support efforts to create a technology innovation ecosystem around the Novation City tech park. Launched quietly in 2023, the Pristini School of AI now has 130 students in its undergraduate and masters courses. (University World News)
Investment
Oman attracts $86 million in AI investment
#Oman #FDI - Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology was able to attract RO 33 million ($86m) worth of investments in AI during 2023, and RO 55 million ($143m) over the past three years. The figures were revealed by the undersecretary Dr. Ali Al Shidhani, at this week's Oman AI Summit. (Oman Observer)
Environment
M42 completes genome sequencing for the ghaf tree
#UAE #environment - Healthcare group M42, in collaboration with Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, has announced the completion of genome sequencing and analysis of the ghaf tree. The ghaf is a hardy species of flowering tree native to deserts of the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates. (Emirates News Agency)