SDAIA Utilizes AI Technology to Streamline Process of Pilgrims' Arrival at the Kingdom's Ports

SDAIA's current initiatives result from continuous support from His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the SDAIA Board of Directors. - SPA
SDAIA's current initiatives result from continuous support from His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the SDAIA Board of Directors. - SPA
TT

SDAIA Utilizes AI Technology to Streamline Process of Pilgrims' Arrival at the Kingdom's Ports

SDAIA's current initiatives result from continuous support from His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the SDAIA Board of Directors. - SPA
SDAIA's current initiatives result from continuous support from His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the SDAIA Board of Directors. - SPA

The Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) played a key role in streamlining the arrival process for pilgrims this year by employing data and artificial intelligence technologies and investing in enhancing the technical infrastructure at 14 air, sea, and land ports across the Kingdom.
SDAIA leveraged artificial intelligence to bolster its data analysis and anticipatory capabilities. It collaborated with government agencies to secure reliable communication circuits, both core and backups, guaranteeing uninterrupted service at the ports. To further ensure smooth operations, SDAIA assembled a dedicated national technical team for the Hajj season, SPA reported.
The SDAIA team offers services at many locations throughout the Hajj season, including King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah Islamic Port, Taif Airport, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport, the Empty Quarter, Batha, Salwa, Al-Raqqi, King Fahd Causeway, Halat Ammar, Neom Port, Jadidat Arar, Al-Haditha, and Al-Wadiah.
SDAIA's current initiatives result from continuous support from Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the SDAIA Board of Directors. The objective is to optimize the utilization of data and AI technologies, particularly for the benefit of pilgrims, aligning with the goals of Vision 2030.
SDAIA gave the Kingdom's border crossings, sorting centers, and security control centers a tech boost by providing new systems, services, and tools to improve efficiency.
For this year's Hajj, SDAIA set up a special tech support room to handle any problems faced by different organizations involved. It also equipped teams at all ports with mobile tech kits so they could quickly fix issues on the spot.
Furthermore, SDAIA made sure all the workstations and network equipment in the Hajj halls at the ports were up-to-date by performing preventive maintenance. It built and installed biometric scanners at the Kingdom's border crossings, and took care of setting up the devices, installing the approved software, and training Hajj personnel on how to use everything new.
SDAIA has been rolling out innovative tech solutions to improve the Hajj experience. It launched "Banan," a mobile device that uses biometric data to identify people on-site. This gadget is perfect for field workers managing large groups at different locations during Hajj.
SDAIA also developed Sawaher and Baseer platforms to help manage crowd sizes effectively at various Hajj sites. These platforms ensure each location does not get overcrowded, promoting a safer and smoother experience for pilgrims.
The authority has integrated many pilgrim services into the Tawakkalna app. Pilgrims can now manage everything from Manasik Gate procedures to displaying their pilgrim cards and entry permits for vehicles and personnel working on Hajj in collaboration with Public Security.



Salesforce Gains as Software Firm Bets on AI Tools to Power Growth

The Salesforce logo is pictured on a building in San Francisco, California, US October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Lily Jamali/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The Salesforce logo is pictured on a building in San Francisco, California, US October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Lily Jamali/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
TT

Salesforce Gains as Software Firm Bets on AI Tools to Power Growth

The Salesforce logo is pictured on a building in San Francisco, California, US October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Lily Jamali/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The Salesforce logo is pictured on a building in San Francisco, California, US October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Lily Jamali/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Shares of Salesforce gained more than 5% on Thursday as investors cheered the customer relationship management software maker's upbeat quarterly results and its artificial intelligence push to drive growth.

The company has been heavily investing to integrate its AI technologies into existing products, such as its messaging platform Slack, to enhance their capabilities and attract more customers.

"We continue to see Salesforce as an under-appreciated AI winner as its differentiated data and early success in creating/deploying GenAI agents," Reuters quoted Goldman Sachs analyst Kash Rangan as saying.

Wall Street was concerned that tempered cloud spending would affect Salesforce in a tough economy, but the software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm reported better-than-expected revenue, profit and margins in the second quarter.

Salesforce also raised its profit forecast for the year ending January 2025, as margins continue to expand, thanks to its restructuring efforts last year.

The stock is trading at 24.49 times that of Wall Street's profit expectations, compared with 52.11 for SaaS peer ServiceNow and cloud contact center firm Five9's 13.30.

Salesforce is set to add $14 billion to its market capitalization if premarket gains hold. The company's valuation stood at $248 billion as of Wednesday's close.

"We think these results alone are not good enough to drive a sustainable rally from here. For that, we need more catalysts, which could come with the new AI solutions," which are set to be showcased at its event Dreamforce and launched in October, Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow said.

Some analysts believe that sustained growth in the coming quarters can come through customer support platform Agentforce, which is not yet commercially available.