Saudi to form $100b AI group; Microsoft to train 1m in UAE
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News - and it’s another long one!
I’m pleased to announce the launch of Africa AI News, in partnership with Johannesburg-based Roger Hislop. Africa AI News will provide news, context and insight on Africa’s AI journey, beginning with a weekly news digest (similar to this one) that will hit inboxes every Friday morning (sign-up here!).
Some big news to share this week. The story finally broke about Saudi plans to establish a big AI group. Bloomberg reported on the plans (Project Transcendence) late yesterday. Meanwhile, yesterday Microsoft and Dubai’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan, announced a new initiative to upskill 1 million UAE residents. And Abu Dhabi’s ATRC launched a new autonomous vehicle technology company!
Scroll down to read all the news!
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/Carrington
Investment
Saudi government plans $100 billion AI and data infrastructure group
#Saudi #investment - Bloomberg yesterday confirmed rumours that Saudi Arabia is to establish a new AI group, along the lines of the electronics group Alat formed earlier this year, with $100 billion in potential funding. Called Project Transcendence, many industry watchers expected an announcement to be made at last week’s FII8 (Future Investment Initiative), but that wasn’t to be. Official Saudi government sources have yet to comment on the project. (Middle East AI News)
Africa
Africa AI News is now live
#Africa #news - Africa AI News, a brand new site sharing news and insights on Africa's AI journey, is now live. (Middle East AI News)
Education
Microsoft to train 1 million in AI in UAE by 2027
#UAE #training – Microsoft has launched an initiative to train 1 million UAE residents in AI skills by 2027, aligning with the UAE’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031. The programme includes upskilling 100,000 government employees in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. (Middle East AI News)
Google to invest $15 million in MENA AI initiative
#MENA #skills - Google.org has launched the AI Opportunity Initiative for MENA, allocating $15 million to fund projects promoting AI inclusivity, with plans to equip 500,000 individuals with AI skills. (Zawya)
E& welcomes 60 Emirati graduates to its AI Graduate Programme
#UAE #graduates– e& has inaugurated its 2024 AI Graduate Programme, welcoming 60 Emirati graduates for a 12-month initiative to develop future UAE national AI leaders. (Zawya)
AI & coding to be core subjects for Egyptian secondary schools
#Egypt #secondaryschool– Egypt’s Ministry of Education will make AI and coding core subjects for secondary school students starting in the 2025-26 academic year. (Ahram Online)
Samsung graduates first Galaxy AI Pioneers in UAE
#UAE #training – Samsung graduated the first class of 49 students from its Galaxy AI Pioneers programme, aimed at educating UAE youth in AI, machine learning, and ethics. (Zawya)
UM6P opens new cybersecurity college
#Morocco #cybersecurity - The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) has inaugurated a cybersecurity centre in Rabat, aiming to establish itself as a leading centre for cybersecurity education. (7News)
LLMs
OpenBabylon unveils Arabic data tokenisation breakthrough
#USA #tokenisation– Californian AI startup OpenBabylon has developed an advanced tokenisation approach for non-English data sets. This breakthrough improves large language model training efficiency, enhancing language performance and reducing computational costs by up to three times. (Middle East AI News)
Energy
ADNOC awards $920 million contract to prepare wells for AI
#UAE #energy – ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) has awarded Jereh Group a $920 million contract to install physical infrastructure across 2,000 oil wells to enable autonomous well solutions. ADNOC aims to convert 300 onshore and offshore wells to autonomous wells by year-end. (Zawya)
ADNOC, AIQ, and partners introduce ENERGYai
#UAE #energy – ADNOC and AIQ, in collaboration with G42 and Microsoft, have launched ENERGYai, an agentic AI solution to accelerate energy transformation. Real-world testing is set to begin by the end of 2024. (Middle East AI News)
ADNOC, Masdar, and Microsoft: AI key to Net Zero Future
#UAE #energy - A report by ADNOC, Masdar, and Microsoft reveals 92% of energy leaders see AI as crucial to energy efficiency by 2030, with 97% expecting AI to drive new energy solutions by 2050. Download PDF. (WAM)
AVs
ATRC launches SteerAI to convert industrial vehicles to autonomous
#UAE #AVs– Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) has launched SteerAI, an autonomous mobility company. Leveraging technolgoy developed by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), SteerAI will convert industrial vehicles to autonomous systems. (Middle East AI News)
Competitions
SDAIA hosts Allam Challenge finals
#Saudi #AllamChallenge– The final stage of the Allam Challenge, hosted by Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), takes place this week. Developers from 17 countries will compete in Riyadh to create AI applications based on the Allam large language model. (SPA)
MoroccoAI 2024 InnovAIHackathon registration now open
#Morocco #InnovAIHackathon - The MoroccoAI 2024 InnovAIHackathon is now accepting registrations. This online event, part of the MoroccoAI Annual Conference, invites participants to create AI-driven solutions in sectors like agriculture, education, health, and finance. Prizes include 20,000 MAD for the winner. (Google doc)
Data Centres
NEOM’s Oxagon to Build 1GW AI data centre in Saudi Arabia
#Saudi #datacenres - NEOM’s Oxagon industrial city is planning a 1GW AI-focused data centre powered by renewable energy, with an initial 400MW phase expected to be signed this year. (Datacenter Dynamics)
Events
World Summit AI & Middle East AI News partner for Qatar event
#Qatar #Events – World Summit AI and Middle East AI News have partnered for the inaugural World Summit AI Qatar. Scheduled for 10-11 December, the event is backed by Qatar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, with IBM as a strategic partner. Book using our 20% discount code! (Middle East AI News)
[ This newsletter was AI edited & human edited ]