SCAI invests in $207 SenseTime JV; Aramco's $250m Global AI Corridor

Middle East AI News weekly digest...

Good morning!

Here’s your weekly roundup of Middle East AI News!

Sorry, did I say 'Middle East AI News'? I should have said 'Saudi AI News' this week! All of the announcements below have been made at this week's Global AI Summit in Riyadh, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, the SDAIA, really did the Kingdom proud this week, putting on a world-class AI event with a fantastic platform of global and local speakers. The good news is that if you missed this event, you can watch the recorded video of the main sessions here: Global AI Summit Day One And here: Global AI Summit Day Two.

You'll find below some of the most interesting announcements, but not all! There were an estimated 40 initiatives, partnerships and other agreements announced during the event.

If you're wondering what AI news broke around the rest of the region, it was a little quiet to tell the truth. So, perhaps corporate communicators were wisely giving the Global AI Summit some space. Normal service will be resumed next week!

Have a great day!

/Carrington

---

Global AI Summit 2022

Saudi's SCAI invests $207 million with SenseTime in SenseTime MEA joint venture

#Saudi #investment - The Saudi Company for AI (SCAI) announced a SAR 776 million ($206.54 million) investment with SenseTime Group to form a Saudi-based SenseTime MEA joint venture. (Zawya)

Saudi Aramco launches ‘Global AI Corridor’ to boost local ecosystem — english.alarabiya.net

#Saudi #innovation - Saudi Aramco has launched the ‘Aramco Global AI Corridor’, a new strategic project aimed at building and commercialising the AI ecosystem in the Kingdom. The $250 million initiative will include an AI Delivery Factory, AI Academy, AI Venturing Studio, and R&D labs. (Al Arabiya)

SDAIA and Ministry of Energy partner with IBM to accelerate sustainability initiatives

#Saudi #carbon - The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) and IBM signed a strategic agreement to drive adoption of AI in carbon capture and industry. The first use case will be a collaboration with the Ministry of Energy to use AI to detect, map, and reduce carbon emissions across the country. (Zawya)

SDAIA and SCAI unveil SauTech speech-to-text software

#Saudi #NLP - The Saudi AI Company (SCAI) and SDAIA's National Centre for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) have revealed a brand-new SauTech system, an AI-driven solution that converts speech into text using advanced speech-recognition techniques at the Global AI Summit this week. (Trade Arabia)

Saudi Arabia and ITU to develop new Global AI Readiness Framework

#Saudi #ITU - Saudi Arabia and the the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will develop a Global AI Readiness Framework to support national AI development and adoption worldwide. (Zawya)

Digital Cooperation Organization adopts Riyadh AI Declaration at the Global AI Summit

#Saudi #DSO - Members of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) agreed on the 'Riyadh Call For Action' declaration, focusing on ensuring that AI innovations are used for the good of all humanity. (Zawya)

EDM Council and the NDMO cooperate to enhance data management culture across KSA

#Saudi #data - SDAIA's National Data Management Office (NDMO) becomes the first EDM Council member via an agreement signed with the council to improve the nation's data literacy and national data management. (Zawya)

Digital Development Partnership

#Saudi #WorldBank - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has joined the The World Bank's Digital Development Partnership (DDP), which helps developing countries leverage digital innovations to solve their most pressing challenges. (DDP)

SDAIA, KAUST announce establishment of Centre of Excellence in data science and AI

#Saudi #research - The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) and KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) signed a strategic partnership, to establish a centre of excellence in data science and AI. (SPA)

SCAI teams up with Tahakom to develop AI infrastructure and super-computing capabilities

#Saudi #HPC - The Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI), a PIF-owned company, has signed an MoU with the Saudi Technology and Security Comprehensive Control Company (Tahakom) to jointly develop the AI infrastructure and super-computing capabilities necessary to power the next generation of AI applications. (Zawya)

Google Cloud inks sustainability agreement with Saudi government authorities

#Saudi #climate - Google Cloud with The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) and Climate Engine will launch the Earth Observation and Science Programme which will help address environmental challenges. (Gulf Business)

Saudi AI authority launches SMARTATHON as government eyes 200 smart cities

#Saudi #smartcities - As Saudi Arabia plans to build 200 smart cities, it has launched a new challenge called “SMARTATHON” with an aim to extend the use of AI in creating smarter, safer, and healthier cities. (Arab News)

SDAIA Launches the Second Edition of NEOM Challenge in Partnership with NEOM

#Saudi #NEOM - The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) has launched the second edition of NEOM AI Challenge in partnership with NEOM, targeting local and international small to medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs across the world. (SPA)

SCAI and Lean to develop AI solutions for Saudi healthcare

#Saudi #healthcare - The Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) has signed a deal with Lean, a leading provider of healthcare management solutions, to explore the development of AI-powered solutions for the Saudi healthcare sector. (Trade Arabia)

SAUDIA Signs an Agreement with SDAIA and SCAI

#Saudi #customerexperience - Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) signed an MoU with the Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) and the Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI), to launch a number of national data and AI initiatives, plus develop a common framework for customer experience. (SPA)

SEC to explore full potential of data analytics and AI in electricity generation and supply

#Saudi #energy - The Saudi Electric Co. (SEC), plans to explore the full potential of AI and data to effectively maximize electricity generation and supply in Saudi Arabia, according to Khaled Salem Al-Ghamdi, senior vice president for IT and digital transformation. (Arab News)

First published via Revue.