SDAIA Inaugurates Excellence Center for Generative AI

SDAIA inaugurates the Center of Excellence for Generative Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with NVIDIA. (SPA)
SDAIA inaugurates the Center of Excellence for Generative Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with NVIDIA. (SPA)
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SDAIA Inaugurates Excellence Center for Generative AI

SDAIA inaugurates the Center of Excellence for Generative Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with NVIDIA. (SPA)
SDAIA inaugurates the Center of Excellence for Generative Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with NVIDIA. (SPA)

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) inaugurated the Center of Excellence for Generative Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with the global technology company NVIDIA and launched the pilot version of the ALLAM application, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

This step is the first of its kind in the region for its importance in achieving the benefit of AI, enhancing the Kingdom's position in the field, and supporting cognitive capabilities.

Several ministers and officials in the public and private sectors, Saudi universities, hospitals, specialists in technology companies, and those interested in the fields of artificial intelligence from within the Kingdom along with foreign participants attended the event.

These accomplishments are in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 – led by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of SDAIA – reflecting his unlimited support for efforts to make the Kingdom a global technological hub for the latest advanced technologies related to AI.

The innovative projects adopted by SDAIA in AI are part of the authority's capacity as the national reference for data and AI in all related aspects of the Kingdom.

The projects are receiving support from Crown Prince Mohammed in recognition of the role they play in improving data and AI, stimulating their growth and utilizing them to serve humanity and lead the Kingdom's efforts to become a global leader in AI.



Oracle to Invest $6.5 Bn in Malaysian Cloud Services Region

(FILES) US multinational computer technology company Oracle's logo is pictured at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2024. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)
(FILES) US multinational computer technology company Oracle's logo is pictured at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2024. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)
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Oracle to Invest $6.5 Bn in Malaysian Cloud Services Region

(FILES) US multinational computer technology company Oracle's logo is pictured at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2024. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)
(FILES) US multinational computer technology company Oracle's logo is pictured at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2024. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)

Tech giant Oracle on Wednesday said it plans to invest more than $6.5 billion on cloud services data centers in Malaysia, joining a list of US titans rushing to build up their AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia.

The firm said the cloud region would help organizations in the country modernize their applications, migrate their workload to the cloud and innovate with data, analytics and artificial intelligence.

Oracle is working to expand its cloud infrastructure business globally. The company recently projected it will surpass $100 billion in revenue in fiscal 2029, driven by increasing demand for cloud services.

Malaysia's new cloud region will be the firm's third in Southeast Asia, following two facilities in neighboring Singapore.

"Malaysia offers unique growth opportunities for organizations looking to accelerate their expansion with the latest digital technologies," Garrett Ilg, Oracle's executive vice president for Japan and Asia Pacific, said in a statement.

"Our multi-billion-dollar investment affirms our commitment to Malaysia as a regional gateway for cloud infrastructure as well as a comprehensive suite of software as a service applications deployed within Malaysia."

The statement also quoted Malaysia's Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz as welcoming the investment, saying it would help firms with innovative and cutting-edge AI and cloud technologies to boost their global competitiveness.

"Oracle's decision to establish a public cloud region in Malaysia underscores Malaysia's infrastructure readiness, and its growing position as a premier Southeast Asian destination for digital investments," he added.

Oracle is the latest global tech giant to announce major digital investments in Southeast Asia. Google-parent Alphabet said in May it would invest $2 billion to house the firm's first data center in Malaysia.

Google on Monday said it plans to invest $1 billion to build digital infrastructure in Thailand, including a new data center.

Amazon and Microsoft have also announced investments worth billions of dollars in the region as demand for AI hots up.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday announced that the country plans to develop a National Cloud Policy.