Saudi SDAIA, NEOM Partner to Bolster Research and Innovation in AI

SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr signed the MoU during the third edition of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh. (SPA)
SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr signed the MoU during the third edition of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh. (SPA)
TT

Saudi SDAIA, NEOM Partner to Bolster Research and Innovation in AI

SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr signed the MoU during the third edition of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh. (SPA)
SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr signed the MoU during the third edition of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh. (SPA)

The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) signed on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding with NEOM to boost cooperation and exchange expertise in research and innovation within the data and AI sector.

The collaboration aims to support NEOM's objectives as a leading project in developing cognitive cities in the Kingdom.

SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr signed the MoU during the third edition of the Global AI Summit, currently underway in Riyadh from September 10 to 12.

The MoU represents a concerted effort to promote integration between the public and private sectors in the Kingdom in alignment with the objectives of Vision 2030.

Through these partnerships, SDAIA aims to bolster the digital economy and innovation in AI. This approach will elevate the Kingdom's position and realize its economic ambitions in the information, data, and AI sectors.



EU Says Trump Arrival Will Not Impact Big Tech Cases

The logos of mobile apps, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Netflix, are displayed on a screen in this illustration picture taken December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo
The logos of mobile apps, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Netflix, are displayed on a screen in this illustration picture taken December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo
TT

EU Says Trump Arrival Will Not Impact Big Tech Cases

The logos of mobile apps, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Netflix, are displayed on a screen in this illustration picture taken December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo
The logos of mobile apps, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Netflix, are displayed on a screen in this illustration picture taken December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo

The European Commission said on Tuesday it was assessing its cases against Apple, Google and Meta and that President-elect Donald Trump's impending arrival in the White House did not affect its commitment to enforcing its laws on big tech.

The European Commission has carried out a series of investigations into US tech firms under its Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, which seek to make large platforms adhere to market rules and act against illegal content, according to Reuters.

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg said Europe was "institutionalizing censorship".

"We have been very clear that no matter which administration is in place in third countries, this will not affect our enforcement work," a Commission spokesperson told the EU's executive's daily briefing.

The Financial Times reported that the European Commission was reassessing its investigations of Apple, Meta and Google in a review that could lead it to scale back or change its investigations that could lead to fines as US groups urge Trump to intervene.

The Commission denied it was carrying out a review.

"What we do have is upcoming meetings to assess maturity of cases, to assess the allocation of resources and the general readiness of the investigation," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that the cases were still being handled at a technical level and so not reached a point at which decisions could be taken.

"Obviously there may be a political reality which puts pressure on the technical work, but we need to distinguish the two stages because we need to have a court-proof investigation," another spokesperson said.