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Aramco Digital, Intel to Establish Saudi Arabia's First Open RAN Development Center

The collaborative effort aims to accelerate the development and deployment of Open RAN technologies in the Kingdom
The collaborative effort aims to accelerate the development and deployment of Open RAN technologies in the Kingdom
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Aramco Digital, Intel to Establish Saudi Arabia's First Open RAN Development Center

The collaborative effort aims to accelerate the development and deployment of Open RAN technologies in the Kingdom
The collaborative effort aims to accelerate the development and deployment of Open RAN technologies in the Kingdom

Aramco Digital and Intel have announced their intent to establish Saudi Arabia's inaugural Open RAN (Radio Access Network) Development Center.

The facility is expected to drive innovation, foster technological advancements and contribute to the digital transformation landscape in the Kingdom.

The collaborative effort aims to accelerate the development and deployment of Open RAN technologies, to enable the Kingdom to build robust and agile telecommunication infrastructure focused on accelerating digitization across industries.

This collaboration aims to align with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which focuses on technological advancements and economic diversification.

Open RAN, an evolving paradigm in wireless network architecture, allows for greater flexibility, interoperability and innovation.

Aramco Digital brings a deep understanding of the development needs and ambitions of the Kingdom and the opportunities for Open RAN technology deployment, along with a unique perspective of the Kingdom's economic landscape.

"This collaboration is a testament to our commitment to helping drive innovation in the Kingdom,” said Aramco Digital's CEO Tareq Amin.

“The Open RAN Development Center is expected to be a catalyst for digital evolution, providing a platform for collaboration, skill development and the creation of a vibrant technology ecosystem.”

"We are pleased to collaborate on Open RAN with Aramco Digital and to combine Intel's technological prowess in network and edge computing and software with the local insights and industry leadership of Aramco Digital. Together, we aim to accelerate the deployment of edge-native Open RAN solutions in Saudi Arabia and beyond," said Sachin Katti, Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Network and Edge Group.

The Open RAN Development Center is planned to start operations in 2024, marking a milestone in Saudi Arabia's journey towards a technology-driven future.

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Former ASML CEO says US-China Chip Fight Will Continue

Peter Wennink, President and CEO of Dutch chip machine maker ASML presents his company's Q4 results, in Veldhoven, Netherlands January 24, 2024. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Peter Wennink, President and CEO of Dutch chip machine maker ASML presents his company's Q4 results, in Veldhoven, Netherlands January 24, 2024. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Former ASML CEO says US-China Chip Fight Will Continue

Peter Wennink, President and CEO of Dutch chip machine maker ASML presents his company's Q4 results, in Veldhoven, Netherlands January 24, 2024. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Peter Wennink, President and CEO of Dutch chip machine maker ASML presents his company's Q4 results, in Veldhoven, Netherlands January 24, 2024. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

The recently retired CEO of semiconductor equipment maker ASML said in an interview with Dutch radio station BNR on Saturday that US-China disputes over computer chips are ideological and not based on facts, and they are set to continue.

Wennink left in April after a ten year term at the helm of ASML that saw it become Europe's largest technology firm. Since 2018, the US has imposed increasing restrictions on what tools the company can export to China, its second-largest market after Taiwan, citing security concerns. According to Reuters, most recently the US has sought to keep the company from servicing equipment already sold to Chinese customers.

"These kind of discussions are not being conducted on the basis of facts or content or numbers or data but on the basis of ideology," Wennink said.

"You can think whatever you want about that, but we're a business where the interests of your stakeholders have to be managed in balance ... If ideology cuts straight through that, I have problems with that."

He said the company has had customers and staff in China for 30 years "so you also have obligations".

As part of seeking to strike a balance, Wennink said he had lobbied where possible to prevent export restrictions from becoming too tight, and at the same time he had complained to high-ranking Chinese politicians when he felt the company's intellectual property wasn't being respected.

"I think in Washington, maybe they sometimes thought, that Mr. Wennink, maybe he's a friend of China," he said.

"No. I'm a friend to my customers, to my suppliers, to my employees, to my shareholders."

He forecast that given geopolitical interests are at stake, the chip war could take decades to play out.

"This is going to go on for a while," he said.