The past decade under the reign of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz witnessed achievements in all aspects.
To accomplish political, economic, social, and technological achievements, King Salman’s rule witnessed the establishment of several entities focused on modern and advanced technologies. These include the founding of specialized technology companies and government entities to enhance Saudi Arabia's position in advanced technologies.
For example, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) was established in 2019. SDAIA contributed to the development of several advanced projects and platforms, as well as the development of Saudi personnel in the fields of data and artificial intelligence.
Additionally, during King Salman’s reign, the National Cybersecurity Authority was established in 2017, which strengthened the Kingdom's ranking in the global cybersecurity index, where it ranked 13th worldwide and 1st in the Arab world in 2019.
This is in addition to other specialized government entities concerned with research and development, such as the General Authority for Defense Development, the General Authority for Military Industries, and the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority.
Several companies were also founded during King Salman’s rule, specializing in future economic technologies. The Saudi electronics company Alat, fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, was established in Feb. 2014. This company specializes in the manufacturing and development of advanced electronics, such as semiconductors, smart devices, advanced industries, and the infrastructure for artificial intelligence.
The Kingdom has also organized several global conferences focused on modern technologies. In March 2024, the third edition of the LEAP conference was launched. It is the largest conference and exhibition dedicated to the future of technologies and their role in the prosperity of humanity. This followed the first edition held in 2022, and the second the year after.
Riyadh also hosted the third edition of the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit last September, announcing several international partnerships and memorandums of understanding aimed at enhancing the future vision of this technology in the upcoming phase.
The summit discussed topics related to artificial intelligence, its applications, and its impact on society and the economy. It aimed to maximize the benefits of AI technologies and find solutions to current challenges across various sectors, such as smart cities, human capacity development, healthcare, transportation, energy, culture and heritage, the environment, and economic mobility.
Another example is when the Saudi Ministry of Energy announced that it would establish a General Directorate for Artificial Intelligence and Business Development to increase energy efficiency and reduce consumption.
Meanwhile, Aramco Digital revealed its collaboration with Groq - AI inference provider and creator of the Language Processing Unit (LPU) - to establish the world’s largest inferencing data center in the Kingdom.
The summit organized by SDAIA featured exceptional and interactive experiences, attracting more than 32,000 visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom. It also included the participation of AI experts, specialists, and leaders from around the world, who gathered to discuss the future of this technology and propose inspiring solutions for the advancement of humanity.
