GAIA Generative AI Accelerator Allocates $160 Million for 120 Startups

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) logo
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) logo
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GAIA Generative AI Accelerator Allocates $160 Million for 120 Startups

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) logo
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) logo

Supported by Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and the National Technology Development Program (NTDP), in cooperation with New Native Inc., GAIA, the generative artificial-intelligence (AI) accelerator, contributed to supporting and empowering start-ups specialized in generative AI with the aim of improving them and accelerating their entry to the market.

GAIA has established four AI Hackathons so far, where more than 7,000 participants and AI developers have created 185 prototypes. The program budget has reached $30 million with the aim of empowering 300 startups in generative AI.

The first batch of GAIA accelerator was launched in July 2023 with the participation of 15 startups with the value of its investment fund amounting to $160 million that aims to invest in 120 companies in the early stages, as it tracks the progress of startups automatically using generative AI techniques.

The establishment of GAIA falls within efforts of SDAIA and NTDP to enhance the Kingdom’s pioneering scientific status as a leading enabler of AI technologies.

GAIA works on empowering the environmental AI systems in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region through offering programs that target the entrepreneurship sector and technology startups and attract Al-driven businesses in the Kingdom.



Microsoft Server Hack Has Now Hit 400 Victims, Researchers Say

A view shows the Microsoft logo on the day of the Hannover Messe, one of the world's largest industrial trade fairs with this year's partner country being Canada, as both Canada and the European Union face new US tariffs, in Hanover, Germany, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows the Microsoft logo on the day of the Hannover Messe, one of the world's largest industrial trade fairs with this year's partner country being Canada, as both Canada and the European Union face new US tariffs, in Hanover, Germany, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
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Microsoft Server Hack Has Now Hit 400 Victims, Researchers Say

A view shows the Microsoft logo on the day of the Hannover Messe, one of the world's largest industrial trade fairs with this year's partner country being Canada, as both Canada and the European Union face new US tariffs, in Hanover, Germany, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows the Microsoft logo on the day of the Hannover Messe, one of the world's largest industrial trade fairs with this year's partner country being Canada, as both Canada and the European Union face new US tariffs, in Hanover, Germany, March 31, 2025. (Reuters)

A sweeping cyber-espionage campaign organization centered on vulnerable versions of Microsoft's server software has now claimed about 400 victims, according to researchers at Netherlands-based Eye Security.

The figure, which is derived from a count of digital artifacts discovered during scans of servers running vulnerable versions of Microsoft's SharePoint software, compares to 100 organizations cataloged over the weekend. Eye Security says the figure is likely an undercount, Reuters reported.

"There are many more, because not all attack vectors have left artifacts that we could scan for," said Vaisha Bernard, the chief hacker for Eye Security, which was among the first organizations to flag the breaches, Reuters reported.

The spy campaign kicked off after Microsoft failed to fully patch a security hole in its SharePoint server software, kicking off a scramble to fix the vulnerability when it was discovered. Microsoft and its tech rival, Google owner Alphabet, have both said Chinese hackers are among those taking advantage of the flaw. Beijing has denied the claim.

The details of most of the victim organizations have not yet been fully disclosed. Bernard declined to identify them.