Saudi Arabia: KACST Signs 13 Partnership Agreements to Build Semiconductor System

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) signed 13 local and international strategic partnerships to build the semiconductor system, establish centers of excellence to accelerate technical development in emerging technologies and future communications, and qualify national cadres, as part of the work of LEAP tech conference.

KACST's partnerships in the field of localization of the semiconductor industry included, Alat Company, one of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) companies, in which it built and supported the semiconductor system in the Kingdom, while its partnership with the Global Semiconductor Group (GSG) focused on designing electronic chips, building national talents and attracting global competencies and international companies in the field of electronic chip design to the Kingdom market.

In the field of future communications and open networks, KACST through its strategic partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA), the Saudi Telecom Company (STC), and Saudi Aramco, established a national technical and industrial alliance in the fields of 5G and 6G communications technologies and Open RAN, to create an ecosystem to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in future communication technologies, ensuring the Kingdom’s global role as a major developer of 6G technologies.

KACST, in partnership with Aramco, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the RDIA, and the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, launched the Saudi Accelerated Innovation Center to enhance quantum technologies and develop 5G and 6G communications networks.
KACST launched a strategic partnership with Animoca Brands to enhance the application of Web 3 system in the Kingdom, facilitate the arrangement of companies and institutions to enter the Web 3 system, and identify joint research and development projects in blockchain applications, games, artificial intelligence, and metaverse development.
To promote public health, KACST has concluded a strategic partnership with Ascend Solutions Ltd. to develop innovation in the field of digital health and disability research, promote virtual health care, and contribute to building innovative health technologies using AI and Internet of Things technologies.
To localize emerging technologies and build future cities, KACST signed a strategic partnership with Cisco Saudi Arabia Limited Company to establish the Virtual Digital Innovation Center (VDIC).
KACST also signed a strategic partnership with Elm Company, to enhance cooperation in the field of future cities' technologies and emerging technologies, in addition to its partnership with Tulip Technologies Company to enhance cooperation in research and development, and training in the field of robotics, AI, and automation.
To achieve the objectives of the Made in Saudi Program, KACST signed a strategic partnership with CiDi Auto (Hong Kong) Limited, to cooperate in research and development activities related to heavy trucks, future transportation technologies, and smart cities, and to explore the feasibility of supplying the Saudi market with these trucks, and work on research, design and manufacturing of vehicles in the Kingdom to join the international market.
Additionally, the partnership is designed to facilitate the testing and implementation of new technologies in KACST laboratories, establishing laboratories in common fields, and hosting technical companies that focus on research, development and innovation activities.
To boost innovation, KACST has established a partnership with the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited to develop the infrastructure of science and technology parks in the Kingdom, facilitate the entry of companies from the Kingdom and Hong Kong into potential markets, help them succeed and adapt, and create opportunities for cooperation in digital service platforms and programs to enhance operating efficiency and provide services in science and technology fields.
Regarding developing the skills of national cadres; the Academy 32 at KACST signed a strategic partnership with Cisco Saudi Arabia Limited and Nortal, to transfer knowledge and qualify human cadres in the field of professional certificates in information technology.

Smartphone buyers were cheered by shopkeepers in Jakarta on Friday after Apple's latest smartphone went on sale following a monthslong ban in Indonesia.

The marketing and sale of iPhone 16 models was prohibited by the government in October over Apple’s failure to meet regulation requiring that 40 percent of smartphone components be made from local parts, said AFP.

But the US tech titan announced last month that its latest smartphone models would hit the shelves, weeks after striking a deal with the Indonesian government to invest in the country.

Albert Wongso, 34, told AFP outside the store he was very happy to learn that the iPhone 16s were now available in Indonesia.

"I’m very happy to hear from the news because we can buy the iPhone directly from Indonesia," the IT consultant told AFP Friday, adding that he was looking to buy the iPhone 16 Pro model to replace his iPhone 11.

"Because if we buy from the other country... it’s quite hard for example to claim the warranty," he said.

While the ban was in place, the government had allowed iPhone 16 models to be brought into the country, provided they were not being traded commercially.

A win for Apple

Jakarta rejected a $100 million investment proposal from Apple in November, saying it lacked the "fairness" required by the government.

The company later agreed to invest $150 million in building two facilities -- one in Bandung in West Java province to produce accessories, and another in Batam for AirTags.

Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in February that Apple had also committed to building a semiconductor research and development center in Indonesia, calling it a "first of its kind in Asia".

The iPhone 16's entry into the Indonesian market marks a win for Apple and signaled the economic importance of the country of 280 million people.

"Indonesia is one of the biggest markets for Apple in the Asian region apart from China and so on," said Nailul Huda, director of digital economy at the think tank, Centre of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS).

The Indonesian government is considering relaxing regulation of the information and communication technology sector ahead of talks with the United States over President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto is set to lead a delegation to Washington this month in the hope of striking a better deal after Trump announced a 90-day pause on the harshest tariff against US trading partners.

Indonesia has also banned the sale of Google Pixel phones for failing to meet the 40 percent local parts requirement.

Saudi Arabia: KACST Signs 13 Partnership Agreements to Build Semiconductor System