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Diriyah Company, stc Group Sign Agreement to Transform Diriyah into Smart Heritage Destination

The Diriyah Project is the first major national project in the Kingdom to benefit from an integrated and modern package of innovative technological solutions provided by stc connectivity. (SPA)
The Diriyah Project is the first major national project in the Kingdom to benefit from an integrated and modern package of innovative technological solutions provided by stc connectivity. (SPA)
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Diriyah Company, stc Group Sign Agreement to Transform Diriyah into Smart Heritage Destination

The Diriyah Project is the first major national project in the Kingdom to benefit from an integrated and modern package of innovative technological solutions provided by stc connectivity. (SPA)
The Diriyah Project is the first major national project in the Kingdom to benefit from an integrated and modern package of innovative technological solutions provided by stc connectivity. (SPA)

Diriyah Company and stc group, an engine of digital transformation in the region, have joined forces in a strategic partnership to elevate Diriyah's technological landscape, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of Diriyah's masterplan and playing an integral role in improving quality of life, culture, and community.

The Diriyah Project is the first major national project in the Kingdom to benefit from an integrated and modern package of innovative technological solutions provided by stc connectivity.

Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of Diriyah Company, and Olayan bin Mohammed Alwetaid, the Group CEO of stc, signed on Tuesday the partnership agreement in the presence of executives from both sides. This strategic partnership aims to enhance and support Diriyah in implementing its projects and activities related to infrastructure.

Per the strategic partnership agreement, stc group will actively provide specialized digital infrastructure services in Diriyah through their partnership.

This agreement includes developing wired and wireless communication networks, internet services for the main headquarters and business premises, and managed cloud security services. These services support the Diriyah community, heritage sites, and development facilities with the latest technologies while preserving its deep-rooted heritage value.

Inzerillo expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, saying: "As we embark on our journey to transform Diriyah into a global cultural and historic landmark, our collaboration with stc group is instrumental in ensuring that our digital infrastructure is not only state-of-the-art but also seamlessly integrated with our masterplan.”

“Diriyah will become a global example of how visitors can relive the past while building the foundations for its future, using advanced technology to future-proof a smart city. This partnership aims to create unparalleled opportunities within the Diriyah community and its unique heritage, cultural, and developmental projects."

Diriyah Company will embrace technology to bring historical experiences to life and help build the best possible visitor experience. This partnership signifies a fundamental step in uniting the rich heritage of Diriyah with today's technological advancements, improving connectivity and quality of life for both residents and visitors.

Likewise, Alwetaid expressed his delight regarding this pioneering partnership, stating: "We are proud to collaborate with Diriyah Company in this groundbreaking initiative, which highlights our commitment as an engine of digital transformation in the region.”

“We are at the forefront of leading and supporting major national projects across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Diriyah project is one of the most large-scale projects as part of Vision 2030 for the Kingdom."

He pointed out that a select group of companies affiliated with the stc group will be responsible for executing various tasks for the strategic partnership.

This strategy will enable the desired digital transformation and complete the construction and implementation work to achieve the vision associated with Diriyah. stc group's pioneering information technology solutions provider, "solutions by stc," will provide comprehensive services in design, execution, and managed services, as well as integrating systems and project management.

Iot squared, specializing in Internet of Things solutions and technologies, will also provide closed-circuit television (CCTV) service packages and supply and install smart cameras. Additionally, they will provide cloud-based video central monitoring solutions, artificial intelligence technologies, and data extraction services to assist with decision-making.

Furthermore, Saudi Cloud Computing Company (SCCC), the leading company in cloud computing services, will host and process big data using artificial intelligence.

The partnership between stc group and Diriyah Company aims to elevate the level and quality of life within the framework of the diverse opportunities the projects provide for a modern, wide-ranging, and multifaceted lifestyle. Moreover, it contributes to achieving the Kingdom's vision targets, which aim to attract 100 million visits to Saudi Arabia annually by 2030.

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Technology

CEO: Amazon Cloud Capacity Sold Out Through 2027

FILE PHOTO: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy speaks during an Amazon Devices launch event in New York City, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy speaks during an Amazon Devices launch event in New York City, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
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CEO: Amazon Cloud Capacity Sold Out Through 2027

FILE PHOTO: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy speaks during an Amazon Devices launch event in New York City, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy speaks during an Amazon Devices launch event in New York City, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said on Friday that Amazon Web Services' cloud computing capacity is largely sold out through 2027, with significant commitments extending into 2028, on growing demand for AI infrastructure.

In a video podcast with Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz and general partner Erik Torenberg, Jassy said Amazon is struggling to keep pace ⁠with the insatiable ⁠demand from AI labs and enterprises.

Earlier this year, Amazon had said it would spend about $220 billion in capital expenditure for 2026.

According to Reuters, Jassy said the ⁠company "could invest a lot more and it wouldn't be a bad use of capital," considering cloud-computing capacity for 2026 is already sold out.

"2027 is largely sold out. We always leave a certain amount for on demand and our inference service bedrock, or EC2, but largely sold out ⁠all ⁠the big chunks. A good chunk of 2028 is sold out," he said.

EC2 is an AWS service that provides cloud servers for running applications, while Bedrock gives customers access to AI models to build generative AI applications.

Amazon is scheduled to report third quarter results on October 29.

Technology

New ‘Scentronic’ Technology Can Detect and Transmit Aromas Remotely

Ohio State University researcher Chunyu Yang wears a prototype odor generator device which is part of a technology called Scentronic that can detect scents and transmit them remotely, at Columbus, Ohio, on June 13, 2025, in this image released October 21, 2026. (Shaoru Cheng/Handout via Reuters)
Ohio State University researcher Chunyu Yang wears a prototype odor generator device which is part of a technology called Scentronic that can detect scents and transmit them remotely, at Columbus, Ohio, on June 13, 2025, in this image released October 21, 2026. (Shaoru Cheng/Handout via Reuters)
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New ‘Scentronic’ Technology Can Detect and Transmit Aromas Remotely

Ohio State University researcher Chunyu Yang wears a prototype odor generator device which is part of a technology called Scentronic that can detect scents and transmit them remotely, at Columbus, Ohio, on June 13, 2025, in this image released October 21, 2026. (Shaoru Cheng/Handout via Reuters)
Ohio State University researcher Chunyu Yang wears a prototype odor generator device which is part of a technology called Scentronic that can detect scents and transmit them remotely, at Columbus, Ohio, on June 13, 2025, in this image released October 21, 2026. (Shaoru Cheng/Handout via Reuters)

People can readily share images and sounds digitally, as evidenced by the billions of smartphones in use globally that often overload the human senses of sight and hearing. But smell generally remains missing from remote communication. That could soon change.

Researchers have developed technology that features an electronic nose that recognizes certain smells, like the distinctive aroma of coffee, and then instructs a small and wearable remote device to release scent molecules matching it. The digital communication can take place at any distance, from across the room to around the world.

"In simple terms, it connects 'smelling something here' with 'recreating the corresponding smell somewhere else,'" said Chunyu Yang, an Ohio State University doctoral student in materials science and engineering and lead author of a study describing the technology published in the journal Science Advances.

"The idea is to add smell to the visual and audio information we already share remotely, making those experiences more engaging," Yang said.

The researchers call this latest development in the field of digital scent technology "Scentronic."

"What makes Scentronic ‌different is that ‌it brings odor sensing and generation together for remote sharing. To the best of our knowledge, ‌our ⁠study is the ⁠first to explore this integration in a compact platform for remote odor sharing," Yang said.

The researchers created an e-nose, a device that uses an array of gas sensors to detect chemical compounds associated with different odors. A machine-learning model then classifies odors that the e-nose has been trained to recognize — cake, coffee and oranges.

The technology uses an online platform to transmit the odor information to a scent generator, which then releases fragrances to recreate the aroma at the receiving end. The scent molecules themselves are not transmitted over the internet.

The e-nose device is roughly 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter and is portable, though not designed to be worn. The researchers developed several versions of ⁠the odor generator, including wristband, necklace and handheld designs.

'EVERYDAY ODORS'

At this point, the e-nose recognizes ‌just the five scents.

"We chose these because they are familiar everyday odors with ‌different scent profiles, making them useful examples for demonstrating the system. We have not yet expanded beyond those categories," Yang said.

"A broader scent library ‌is possible in principle, but an unlimited repertoire is far beyond what we have demonstrated. Recognizing an odor and accurately reproducing ‌it are separate challenges. Covering a useful range of everyday scents is a more realistic goal, although that would still require substantial development," Yang said.

The receiving device cannot recreate every smell Scentronic encounters.

"To support additional odors, we would need to train the electronic nose to recognize them and provide corresponding scented liquids in the odor generator," Yang said.

The researchers see various potential applications for the technology.

"For example, someone could share the scent of ‌a meal with family or friends who live far away. Other potential applications include more immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences and online shopping that allows customers to sample selected scents remotely," ⁠Yang said.

'A RESEARCH PROTOTYPE'

The research ⁠was conducted and the devices developed without the involvement of a company, Yang said.

"At present, this is a research prototype. Moving toward commercialization would require a larger, more diverse training dataset and reliable odor recognition under real-world conditions, where smells often occur in mixtures," Yang said.

"The odor generator would also need further development to support more scents while remaining compact and convenient to use. Other considerations include scent fidelity, refillability, durability, manufacturing costs and the safety of repeated exposure to the scented mist," Yang said.

Smartphones are becoming increasingly capable. Could they in the future incorporate scent technology so that, for instance, a person at a tailgate party before an Ohio State football game could call a friend and share video, audio and the aroma of hot dogs on the grill?

"In principle, a smartphone could connect to a scent-generating accessory. Integrating everything into the phone itself would be more challenging because the scent reservoirs, electronics and atomizers all take up space and add weight. Miniaturization and convenient refilling would be important considerations," Yang said.

"The tailgate example illustrates the idea well. A future system could potentially combine video and audio with a corresponding scent, provided it could recognize the relevant odor and the receiver had a suitable scent formulation available. Our current system has not demonstrated the transmission of a grilling-hot-dog scent or the exact mixture of smells at a tailgate party," Yang said.

Technology

Websites Go Dark as AI Exposes Critical Security Flaws

Computer code is displayed on multiple screens in this illustration taken on October 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Computer code is displayed on multiple screens in this illustration taken on October 22, 2026. (Reuters)
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Websites Go Dark as AI Exposes Critical Security Flaws

Computer code is displayed on multiple screens in this illustration taken on October 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Computer code is displayed on multiple screens in this illustration taken on October 22, 2026. (Reuters)

Governments and companies around the world shut down websites Thursday as they raced to protect themselves from hacks after artificial intelligence uncovered critical flaws in a widely used programming language called PHP.

PHP helps run about 70 percent of the world's websites -- from online stores and news outlets to government services -- according to Wiz Research, one of the cybersecurity firms that found the two flaws.

Created in the early 1990s, PHP originally stood for "personal home page" but now means "hypertext preprocessor" and sits underneath popular web design platforms.

"These findings rank among the most severe vulnerabilities discovered in PHP, and arguably in software history," a Wiz blog post said.

Increasingly powerful AI models can spot weak points in back-end computer code that have gone unnoticed by humans for years.

That has heightened cybersecurity fears, with the number of software vulnerabilities discovered worldwide in 2026 on track to roughly double last year's record total.

- 'Quite devastating' -

PHP programmers released a fix Wednesday, and the US National Security Agency told organizations to patch their sites immediately or pull vulnerable systems offline -- a call echoed by authorities from China to the European Union.

Amazon Threat Intelligence said it had identified a hacking attempt carried out before the PHP security flaws were made public.

"It remains unclear how the actor acquired exploit information," it said, describing the incident as the "targeting of a honeypot" from an anonymized internet connection.

But Ryan Austin, who has worked on PHP issues for cybersecurity firm Calif, told the BBC: "At the moment, it doesn't look like exploitation has taken off or been widespread."

Only sites that run PHP on their own servers are exposed. Many large platforms are built on other programming languages or use operators that could install the fix quickly and were able to stay online.

Rahat Masood, senior lecturer in cybersecurity at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, described the discovery as "quite devastating".

It could allow "attackers to get into your servers without any authorization, without any username or password", she told AFP.

"Once they are in the servers, they can do anything they want" -- from stealing sensitive information to modifying website content -- she added, urging institutions to "take it seriously."

- 'New phase' -

Government agency sites in countries from Australia to Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were among those that went dark. Services from insurance firms, transport operators and media outlets were down for emergency maintenance.

Popular apps, including a Pokemon sleep tracker, were also temporarily taken offline while the fix was implemented, while the foundation that runs Wikipedia warned users they could see outages while it addressed the flaws.

"If you run PHP, it is imperative that you update now," the PHP Foundation, which funds developers working on the language, said in a blog post.

Volker Dusch, a security engineer at the foundation, told the Wall Street Journal it was the most serious problem PHP had faced in more than a decade, comparing it to Heartbleed, a 2014 flaw that set off a worldwide rush to patch.

Security firm Calif found the flaws in August using OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol model, as part of an OpenAI-funded audit of PHP's code.

OpenAI said the discovery "marks a new phase, where AI can find security bugs with internet-scale impact."

Wiz, which is owned by Google, said it found them independently weeks later with help from AI models including Google's Gemini 4 Argon and GPT-5.6 Sol.

The flaws had been reported privately to PHP's developers and kept confidential while a fix was prepared.

- AI fuels urgency -

Details leaked online Tuesday, a day before the planned release of the fix -- prompting the rush to take sites offline before hackers could exploit them.

Steve Kerrison, senior lecturer in cybersecurity at the Singapore campus of James Cook University, told AFP that the fear of hackers using AI to quickly and easily exploit the PHP vulnerabilities had fueled urgency to react.

Larger institutions, from government agencies to news outlets, should be able to fix their websites relatively fast, Kerrison said -- but others may be left vulnerable.

"There are sites, systems and people out there who will have no idea about this and still won't for days, weeks and months," Kerrison warned.

That may include user-run blogs that could be weaponized to spread computer viruses, spam people or distribute malicious content, he said.