Saudi Arabia's stc Group and Research, Development, and Innovation Authority Partner to Launch AI Lab 

Saudi Arabia's stc Group and Research, Development, and Innovation Authority Partner to Launch AI Lab 
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Saudi Arabia's stc Group and Research, Development, and Innovation Authority Partner to Launch AI Lab 

Saudi Arabia's stc Group and Research, Development, and Innovation Authority Partner to Launch AI Lab 

stc Group and the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority signed on Tuesday a cooperation agreement to establish the stc Group Artificial Intelligence Lab. The strategic partnership aims to support and empower pioneering projects in Saudi Arabia.

The agreement was signed by Research, Development, and Innovation Authority acting Supervisor-General Dr. Mohammed Al-Otaibi and stc Group chief technology officer Eng. Haitham Al-Faraj on the sidelines of the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit, which is being held in Riyadh. The summit focuses on developing effective mechanisms to support national projects aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.

The partnership will provide the necessary capabilities to foster innovative ideas and projects that contribute to a knowledge-based economy and solidify Saudi Arabia's position as a global technology hub.

It represents a significant step towards creating a supportive environment for innovation and entrepreneurship, driving sustainable economic growth, and developing national capabilities in various technical fields.

The stc Group's artificial intelligence (AI) lab will serve as a platform for testing and developing innovative technical solutions. It will provide an integrated environment to support ideas and transform them into products and services that enhance Saudi Arabia's global competitiveness and achieve national targets.

This includes increasing the number of startups, supporting entrepreneurs, providing a conducive environment for innovation, and increasing research and development spending through collaboration between government agencies and private-sector companies.

The lab will also contribute to increasing the number of patents, creating new job opportunities, and supporting the transformation of ideas into inventions at the global level.



Volkswagen Workers to Go on Warning Strikes Across Germany

The Volkswagen logo is displayed on the Volkswagen power plant on the day when Volkswagen AG and the industrial union IG Metall started talks over a new labor agreement for six of its German plants, in Wolfsburg, Germany, September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
The Volkswagen logo is displayed on the Volkswagen power plant on the day when Volkswagen AG and the industrial union IG Metall started talks over a new labor agreement for six of its German plants, in Wolfsburg, Germany, September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
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Volkswagen Workers to Go on Warning Strikes Across Germany

The Volkswagen logo is displayed on the Volkswagen power plant on the day when Volkswagen AG and the industrial union IG Metall started talks over a new labor agreement for six of its German plants, in Wolfsburg, Germany, September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
The Volkswagen logo is displayed on the Volkswagen power plant on the day when Volkswagen AG and the industrial union IG Metall started talks over a new labor agreement for six of its German plants, in Wolfsburg, Germany, September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo

Volkswagen workers will go on warning strikes on Monday at plants across Germany, labor union IG Metall said, marking the first large-scale walkouts at Volkswagen's domestic operations since 2018.

The start of the strikes represents a further escalation of a dispute between Europe's top carmaker and its workers over mass layoffs, pay cuts and possible plant closures - drastic measures the company says it cannot rule out in the face of Chinese competition and cooling consumer demand.

Labor representatives at VW had on Nov. 22 voted for limited strikes at German operations from early December after talks over wages and plant closures failed to achieve a breakthrough, Reuters reported.

"If necessary, this will be the toughest collective bargaining battle Volkswagen has ever seen," IG Metall negotiator Thorsten Groeger said in a statement.

The carmaker said it continues to rely on constructive dialogue to find a sustainable solution.

"Volkswagen respects the right of employees to take part in a warning strike," a spokesperson said in reply to the union's announcement, adding that the company had taken steps in advance to ensure a basic level of supplies to customers and minimise the impact of the strike.

Warning strikes in Germany usually last from a few hours.

The union had last week proposed measures it said would save 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion), including forgoing bonuses for 2025 and 2026, which Europe's top carmaker dismissed.

Volkswagen has demanded a 10% wage cut, arguing it needs to slash costs and boost profit to defend market share in the face of cheap competition from China and a drop in European car demand.

The company is threatening to close plants in Germany for the first time in its 87-year history.

"Volkswagen has set fire to our collective agreements and instead of extinguishing this fire in three collective bargaining sessions, the management board is throwing open barrels of petrol into it," Groeger said.

An agreement not to stage walkouts had ended on Saturday, IG Metall said, enabling workers to carry out warning strikes from Sunday across VW AG's German plants.

"Warning strikes will start at all plants from Monday. How long and how intensive this confrontation needs to be is Volkswagen's responsibility at the negotiating table," Groeger said.

Labor representatives and management will meet again on Dec. 9 to carry on negotiations over a new labor agreement for workers at the German business - VW AG - with unions vowing to resist any proposals that do not provide a long-term plan for every VW plant.