Saudi Aramco Extends $800 Mn Contracts for Arabian Drilling

A drilling rig belonging to Arabian Drilling (Arabian Drilling's website)
A drilling rig belonging to Arabian Drilling (Arabian Drilling's website)
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Saudi Aramco Extends $800 Mn Contracts for Arabian Drilling

A drilling rig belonging to Arabian Drilling (Arabian Drilling's website)
A drilling rig belonging to Arabian Drilling (Arabian Drilling's website)

Saudi Aramco extended several contracts worth close to $800 million with the Arabian Drilling Company (ADC) that were due to expire in 2023.

The contracts have been extended from three to ten years, the company said in a statement.

The company noted that the financial impact of this extension is expected to be reflected in the results of the third quarter of the fiscal year 2023.

The Arabian Drilling, listed on Tadawul, specializes in onshore and offshore drilling activities in the Kingdom.

It announced in July that it had signed long-term contracts with Aramco to provide it with ten new-build land rigs with full crews to conduct drilling and exploration operations within Aramco's unconventional program.

The ADC signed a similar contract with the Saudi oil giant in January for five years to provide it with one offshore drilling platform exceeding SR650 million.

The company's profits grew 36 percent in the first half of this year to reach SR282 million, after it increased by 23 percent in the second quarter to SR140 million.



Saudi Arabia Launches HUMAIN to Develop Artificial Intelligence

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. SPA
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. SPA
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Saudi Arabia Launches HUMAIN to Develop Artificial Intelligence

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. SPA
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. SPA

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has launched a new company under the Public Investment Fund (PIF) named HUMAIN to develop and manage artificial intelligence technologies.

Chaired by the Crown Prince, HUMAIN will provide a comprehensive range of AI services, products, and tools, including next-generation data centers, AI infrastructure, cloud capabilities and advanced AI models and solutions.

The company will also offer one of the world's most powerful multimodal Arabic large language models (LLMs.

Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Alghamdi praised the Crown Prince’s announcement of the launch of HUMAIN.

He described the move as a strategic decision that strengthens Saudi Arabia's position as a leader in data and AI and supports the foundations of a knowledge-based economy.

Alghamdi stated that the launch of HUMAIN reflects the Crown Prince's unwavering support to position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for advanced and AI-related technologies, especially amid the current global technological and knowledge transformations.

He stated that the company will bolster national efforts to advance the Kingdom's leadership in data and AI-driven economies and accelerate the development and application of these technologies for the benefit of the country and humanity.

He said that the world is witnessing rapid transformations across various fields due to the rise of AI technologies and their applications, which have become a cornerstone of the global economy. Guided by its leadership, he said, the Kingdom has sought to harness these technologies to advance digital transformation, boost economic growth, productivity, and global competitiveness.