SDAIA trains 779,000 in data & AI skills
SDAIA's AI education and awareness campaigns have reached millions
#SaudiArabia #training – Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has succeeded in training more than 779,000 citizens in data and artificial intelligence, including 260 scientists and 80 government leaders, according to the 2024 Vision 2030 report. The Riyadh-based authority aims to build national AI capacity, support a digital economy, and boost Arabic-language AI content. Other recent milestones include launching the ALLaM Challenge to support Arabic LLM innovation, and a national AI Olympiad (Athkar) reaching 260,000 Saudi students.
SO WHAT? – Saudi Arabia is scaling its national AI talent pipeline at an unprecedented pace. SDAIA’s wide-reaching capacity-building programmes are now a core part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 transformation agenda, strengthening government leadership, workforce readiness, and societal awareness of AI. The size and scale of its national education and training programmes are unmatched in the region and provide a global case study on national capacity-building.
Here are some key facts about Saudi’s effort to upskill a future-ready workforce:
Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has now trained more than 779,000 citizens in data and AI, including 9,775 specialists and 260 scientists and experts, as part of its national capacity-building initiatives.
More than 80 government leaders have been trained to design and implement AI strategies, boosting digital transformation in the public sector.
SDAIA has delivered technical training to over 590,000 young nationals, including students and educators, via partnerships with local and international academic institutions.
SDAIA’s 2024 National Olympiad for Programming and Artificial Intelligence (ATHKA) enrolled over 260,000 students from 10,000 schools across the Kingdom.
The ALLaM Challenge, launched to boost Arabic LLM development, attracted over 200 global research teams, advancing Arabic-language AI innovation.
SDAIA also supports general education initiatives, introducing students to cutting-edge technologies and preparing them for global tech competitions.
SDAIA continues to support community-focused AI awareness campaigns, including projects in charity, environmental conservation, and digital literacy.
In addition, the authority promotes generative AI understanding through university partnerships and public knowledge forums across the Kingdom.
SDAIA is currently organising a International AI Olympiad to take place September 8-12, attracting participants from 25+ countries and under the patronage of UNESCO’s, engaging students in real-world AI applications.
Vision 2030’s 2024 report highlights SDAIA’s contribution to building a knowledge-based economy and strengthening digital skills across society.
ZOOM OUT – SDAIA’s capacity-building drive is a cornerstone of the National Strategy for Data & AI (NSDAI), which sets out Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a global leader in artificial intelligence by 2030. Unveiled at the Global AI Summit in 2020, the strategy originally targeted the training of 20,000 data and AI specialists, the creation of 300 AI startups, and the attraction of $20 billion in investment. The NSDAI supports Vision 2030 by accelerating AI adoption across priority sectors including education, energy, government, healthcare, and mobility. Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership, Saudi Arabia ranked second globally in AI societal awareness, according to the Stanford AI Index 2023.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Read more about education initiatives in Saudi Arabia:
Saudi launches AI-powered National Skills Platform (Middle East AI News)
Tuwaiq Academy & Berkeley aim to equip CEOs for AI (Middle East AI News)
Aramco training over 6,000 AI developers (Middle East AI News)
Microsoft brings first Data Centre Academy to KSA (Middle East AI News)
SDAIA targets top potential AI talent (Middle East AI News)
Saudi to train 300,000 school students in AI (Middle East AI News)