Saudi Arabia’s Alat Boosts Sustainable Manufacturing Capabilities

Alat is a company focused on transforming global industries (electronics and industrials) and creating a world-class manufacturing hub in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia powered by clean energy. SPA
Alat is a company focused on transforming global industries (electronics and industrials) and creating a world-class manufacturing hub in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia powered by clean energy. SPA
TT

Saudi Arabia’s Alat Boosts Sustainable Manufacturing Capabilities

Alat is a company focused on transforming global industries (electronics and industrials) and creating a world-class manufacturing hub in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia powered by clean energy. SPA
Alat is a company focused on transforming global industries (electronics and industrials) and creating a world-class manufacturing hub in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia powered by clean energy. SPA

Alat, a PIF company focused on transforming global industries (electronics and industrials) and creating a world-class manufacturing hub in Saudi Arabia, has announced the launch of two new business units - Electrification and AI Infrastructure.

Alat made the announcement in a press release on Monday. It said the two business units will address unprecedented global demand for AI infrastructure and the urgent need to support global energy transition by strengthening electricity grid technology.

Electrification is a key goal for Alat to not only strengthen grid technology for robust and increased use of technology, but also as the growth of electricity grows exponentially, with electricity being the key energy produced by solar, wind and hydrogen clean energy to power industrial processes, it said.

By combining Saudi Arabia’s rich resources of solar energy and other clean energy sources with electric powered industrial systems, Alat intends to manufacture solutions that will contribute significantly to the global energy transition and the decarbonization of industry, the statement added.

According to the statement, the Electrification business unit will focus on transmission and distribution technologies. It will also include the connection of renewable energy sources to the grid and latest technologies for gas and hydrogen generation and compression.

The AI Infrastructure business unit is focused on the technology necessary for AI capabilities and encompasses network and communications equipment, servers, data center networking equipment, data center storage, industrial edge servers, and industry 4.0 computing, said Alat.

The adoption of AI in combination with other industry 4.0 technologies, including robotics, will enable a leap forward in smart manufacturing and the creation of intelligent factories. The AI Infrastructure Business Unit will not only manufacture solutions for Alat customers but will also contribute to Alat’s advanced technology goals, it added.

"I am pleased to announce these two exciting new divisions as they will make a significant contribution to Alat’s overall strategic goal of developing an advanced, sustainable future for industry,” the statement quoted Global CEO at Alat Amit Midha as saying.



IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
TT

IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the third review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 billion bailout on Saturday but warned that the economy remains vulnerable.
In a statement, the global lender said it would release about $333 million, bringing total funding to around $1.3 billion, to the crisis-hit South Asian nation. It said signs of an economic recovery were emerging, Reuters reported.
In a note of caution, it said "the critical next steps are to complete the commercial debt restructuring, finalize bilateral agreements with official creditors along the lines of the accord with the Official Creditor Committee and implement the terms of the other agreements. This will help restore Sri Lanka's debt sustainability."
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka plunged into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades in 2022 with a severe dollar shortage sending inflation soaring to 70%, its currency to record lows and its economy contracting by 7.3% during the worst of the fallout and by 2.3% last year.
"Maintaining macroeconomic stability and restoring debt sustainability are key to securing Sri Lanka's prosperity and require persevering with responsible fiscal policy," the IMF said.
The IMF bailout secured in March last year helped stabilize economic conditions. The rupee has risen 11.3% in recent months and inflation disappeared, with prices falling 0.8% last month.
The island nation's economy is expected to grow 4.4% this year, the first increase in three years, according to the World Bank.
However, Sri Lanka still needs to complete a $12.5 billion debt restructuring with bondholders, which President Anura Kumara Dissanayake aims to finalize in December.
Sri Lanka will enter into individual agreements with bilateral creditors including Japan, China and India needed to complete a $10 billion debt restructuring, Dissanayake said.
He won the presidency in September, and his leftist coalition won a record 159 seats in the 225-member parliament in a general election last week.