SDAIA, Samsung Sign MoU to Explore Localization of Digital Technologies, Innovations

SDAIA signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung Electronics Co. Limited to explore the localization of digital technologies and innovations. (SPA)
SDAIA signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung Electronics Co. Limited to explore the localization of digital technologies and innovations. (SPA)
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SDAIA, Samsung Sign MoU to Explore Localization of Digital Technologies, Innovations

SDAIA signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung Electronics Co. Limited to explore the localization of digital technologies and innovations. (SPA)
SDAIA signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung Electronics Co. Limited to explore the localization of digital technologies and innovations. (SPA)

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) signed on Wednesday memorandum of understanding with Samsung Electronics Co. Limited to explore the localization of digital technologies and innovations.

The signing ceremony took place during SDAIA's participation in the third edition of the LEAP 2024 technological conference in Riyadh.

The MoU was signed on behalf of SDAIA by the Assistant Director of the National Information Center for the Tawakkalna Saleh bin Salem Musaibah and by Hyun-Dong Lee, the General Manager of Samsung Saudi Electronics Limited.

Cooperation aspects of the memorandum include automatically adding Tawakkalna system applications to all Samsung devices in the Kingdom and providing training services and workshops on the latest technologies used in application development.

Also at LEAP 2024, SDAIA signed an MoU with PwC Middle East to conduct experiments and research on the latest AI technologies.

In addition, SDAIA will create models specifically designed for the Arabic language to establish an advanced virtual laboratory for AI and a generative AI experiments center (GenAI).

CEO of Business Development Raed bin Faleh Al-Faleh signed on behalf of SDAIA, while General Manager Fadi Al-Qamati signed on behalf of PwC Middle East.



Oracle to Invest $6.5 Bn in Malaysian Cloud Services Region

(FILES) US multinational computer technology company Oracle's logo is pictured at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2024. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)
(FILES) US multinational computer technology company Oracle's logo is pictured at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2024. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)
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Oracle to Invest $6.5 Bn in Malaysian Cloud Services Region

(FILES) US multinational computer technology company Oracle's logo is pictured at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2024. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)
(FILES) US multinational computer technology company Oracle's logo is pictured at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2024. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)

Tech giant Oracle on Wednesday said it plans to invest more than $6.5 billion on cloud services data centers in Malaysia, joining a list of US titans rushing to build up their AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia.

The firm said the cloud region would help organizations in the country modernize their applications, migrate their workload to the cloud and innovate with data, analytics and artificial intelligence.

Oracle is working to expand its cloud infrastructure business globally. The company recently projected it will surpass $100 billion in revenue in fiscal 2029, driven by increasing demand for cloud services.

Malaysia's new cloud region will be the firm's third in Southeast Asia, following two facilities in neighboring Singapore.

"Malaysia offers unique growth opportunities for organizations looking to accelerate their expansion with the latest digital technologies," Garrett Ilg, Oracle's executive vice president for Japan and Asia Pacific, said in a statement.

"Our multi-billion-dollar investment affirms our commitment to Malaysia as a regional gateway for cloud infrastructure as well as a comprehensive suite of software as a service applications deployed within Malaysia."

The statement also quoted Malaysia's Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz as welcoming the investment, saying it would help firms with innovative and cutting-edge AI and cloud technologies to boost their global competitiveness.

"Oracle's decision to establish a public cloud region in Malaysia underscores Malaysia's infrastructure readiness, and its growing position as a premier Southeast Asian destination for digital investments," he added.

Oracle is the latest global tech giant to announce major digital investments in Southeast Asia. Google-parent Alphabet said in May it would invest $2 billion to house the firm's first data center in Malaysia.

Google on Monday said it plans to invest $1 billion to build digital infrastructure in Thailand, including a new data center.

Amazon and Microsoft have also announced investments worth billions of dollars in the region as demand for AI hots up.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday announced that the country plans to develop a National Cloud Policy.