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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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Microsoft Revamps AI Copilot with New Voice, Reasoning Capabilities

Copilot logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Copilot logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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Microsoft Revamps AI Copilot with New Voice, Reasoning Capabilities

Copilot logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Copilot logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)

Microsoft has given its consumer Copilot, an artificial intelligence assistant, a more amiable voice in its latest update, with the chatbot also capable of analyzing web pages for interested users as they browse.

The US software maker now has "an entire army" of creative directors - among them psychologists, novelists and comedians - finessing the tone and style of Copilot to distinguish it, Mustafa Suleyman, chief executive of Microsoft AI, told Reuters in an interview.

In one demonstration of the updated Copilot, a consumer asked what housewarming gift to buy at a grocery store for a friend who did not drink wine. After some back-and-forth, Copilot said aloud: "Italian (olive) oils are the hot stuff right now. Tuscan's my go-to. Super peppery."

The feature rollout, starting Tuesday, is one of the first that Suleyman has overseen since Microsoft created his division in March to focus on consumer products and technology research.

Long identified with business software, Microsoft has had a much harder road in the consumer realm. Its Bing search engine, for instance, is still dwarfed by Google.

Suleyman is hoping for a bigger splash with Copilot, which launched last year in a crowded field of AI chatbots, including OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.

Copilot's newly fashioned voice capabilities make it seem much more of an active listener, giving verbal cues like "cool" and "huh," Suleyman said.

Underlying the product are Microsoft AI, or "MAI," models, plus a technology suite from partner OpenAI, Suleyman said.

Suleyman added that consumers who spend $20 monthly for Copilot Pro can start testing a "Think Deeper" feature that reasons through choices, like whether to move to one city or another.

He said an additional test feature for paying subscribers, Copilot Vision, amounts to "digital pointing" - the ability for users to talk to AI about what they see in a Microsoft Edge browser. Consumers have to opt in, and the content they view will not be saved or used to train AI, Microsoft said.

These updates represent "glimmers" of AI that can be an "ever-present confidant, in your corner," Suleyman said. It's a vision he articulated as CEO of Inflection AI, whose top talent Microsoft poached in a closely watched deal this year.

Suleyman said that eventually, Copilot will learn context from consumers' Word documents, Windows desktops, even their gaming consoles if they grant permission.

Asked what Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder, thinks of the company's AI efforts, Suleyman said Gates was excited.

"He's always asking me about when Copilot can read and parse his emails. It's one of his favorite ones," Suleyman said. "We're on the case."