Saudi Arabia, China Strengthen Strategic Partnership in Digital Economy

The agreement was signed by Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha and the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Wang Zhigang
The agreement was signed by Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha and the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Wang Zhigang
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Saudi Arabia, China Strengthen Strategic Partnership in Digital Economy

The agreement was signed by Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha and the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Wang Zhigang
The agreement was signed by Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha and the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Wang Zhigang

Saudi Arabia has signed a strategic partnership with China for cooperation on the digital economy.

The agreement was signed by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha and the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Wang Zhigang, as part of the current official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Kingdom.

The partnership develops a framework for cooperation between the two countries, covering the fields of digital economy, communications and information technology, and promoting research and innovation on emerging technologies, in addition to improving aspects of communications infrastructure, and enabling the growth of digital entrepreneurship through emerging business models such as financial technology and e-commerce.

It also covers cooperation on artificial intelligence, advanced computing and quantum information technology, in addition to robots and smart equipment, and work to develop their technologies and applications for industrial and commercial purposes.

Moreover, this partnership memorandum aims at enhancing the two friendly countries' cooperation in the fields of the modern generation of mobile communications technology and emerging technologies.

Within the framework of this partnership, the two sides will also cooperate in the field of digital technology applications and radio frequency spectrum management, in addition to their cooperation in developing and building local capabilities in communication and data centers, developing digital platforms and cloud computing services, and expanding submarine cable projects.

Saudi Arabia and China will implement the terms of their partnership by exchanging information and expertise, activating visits between experts and specialists from both sides, and organizing conferences, seminars and working sessions.



Google Reportedly Weighs Large Data Center in Vietnam

FILE PHOTO: The logo for Google is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, US, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo for Google is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, US, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
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Google Reportedly Weighs Large Data Center in Vietnam

FILE PHOTO: The logo for Google is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, US, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo for Google is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, US, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

Alphabet's Google is considering building a large data center in Vietnam, a person briefed on the plans said, in what would be the first such investment by a big US technology company in the Southeast Asian nation.
Google is weighing setting up a "hyperscale" data center close to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's southern economic hub, the source said, declining to be named because the information is not public.
The investment, the size of which the source did not specify, would be a shot in the arm for Vietnam which has so far failed to attract major overseas capital in data centers due to its patchy infrastructure, with large tech companies preferring to house their centers in rival nations in the region.
According to Reuters, it was not clear how quickly Google will reach a decision on an investment but the source said internal talks are on and the data center could be ready in 2027.
A spokesperson for Google declined to comment about the data center plan.
Hyperscale centers are the largest in the industry, with power consumption usually similar to that of a big city.
A hyperscale data center with power consumption capacity of 50 megawatts (MW) could cost between $300 million and $650 million, according to estimates based on data published by real estate consultant Jones Lang LaSalle in a report this year on data centers in Vietnam.
Google's move was motivated by the large number of its domestic and foreign cloud services clients in Vietnam and the country's expanding digital economy, the source said, noting the Southeast Asian nation was one of the fastest-growing markets for YouTube, Google's popular online video sharing platform.
Currently the top data center operators in Vietnam, based on computing space, are industrial investment firm IDC Becamex and telecommunications company VNPT, both Vietnamese state-owned enterprises, according to an internal market report by an industrial park in Vietnam seen by Reuters.
The Nikkei reported in May that Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba was considering building a data center in Vietnam. Alibaba did not reply to a request for comment.