SDAIA Partners with NVIDIA to Boost Saudi Arabia's AI Capabilities 

SDAIA announced its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy AI applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. (SPA)
SDAIA announced its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy AI applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. (SPA)
TT

SDAIA Partners with NVIDIA to Boost Saudi Arabia's AI Capabilities 

SDAIA announced its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy AI applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. (SPA)
SDAIA announced its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy AI applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. (SPA)

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) announced on Tuesday its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. The partnership also aims to boost the model's effectiveness and expand its capabilities by leveraging NVIDIA's advanced technological expertise.

The announcement was made during the third Global AI (GAIN) Summit, which kicked off in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The summit was attended by SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, SDAIA Vice President Dr. Sami bin Abdullah Muqeem, National Information Center Director Dr. Essam bin Abdullah Al-Wagait, and National Data Management Office (NDMO) head Al-Rabdi bin Fahd Al-Rabdi.

The collaboration allows the ALLaM model to benefit from the NVIDIA NeMo platform, part of NVIDIA's AI software, to train language models and make them widely accessible to users, while implementing safeguards to ensure system security.

NVIDIA provides enhanced, user-friendly capabilities that help developers build generative AI applications using the ALLaM model's features, setting a new standard for AI-based language models in the region. It positions the model as a key player in advanced Arabic-language technologies and helps companies access the newly announced NVIDIA NIM.

In addition to these advancements in AI applications, SDAIA will work closely with NVIDIA to boost its supercomputing infrastructure.

Moreover, there are plans that include establishing one of the largest high-performance data centers in the Middle East and North Africa by upgrading the existing infrastructure of SDAIA's NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, which boasts unique specifications.

The expansion will integrate NVIDIA's most advanced technologies, eventually reaching over 5,000 GPUs. Hence, it will open new horizons for digital innovation and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

By integrating the NVIDIA Triton Inference Server for efficient model deployment and NVIDIA TensorRT software, SDAIA ensures the continuous development of its AI infrastructure, keeping it at the forefront of global technological trends.

Through its collaboration with NVIDIA, SDAIA is co-leading a new era of AI-powered transformation in the Kingdom, further strengthening its leadership in digital innovation on the international stage.



Saudi Aramco Unveils New Initiatives to Drive Digital Development

Saudi Aramco unveiled on Tuesday new initiatives aimed at driving the development and deployment of advanced digital solutions across its operations. (SPA)
Saudi Aramco unveiled on Tuesday new initiatives aimed at driving the development and deployment of advanced digital solutions across its operations. (SPA)
TT

Saudi Aramco Unveils New Initiatives to Drive Digital Development

Saudi Aramco unveiled on Tuesday new initiatives aimed at driving the development and deployment of advanced digital solutions across its operations. (SPA)
Saudi Aramco unveiled on Tuesday new initiatives aimed at driving the development and deployment of advanced digital solutions across its operations. (SPA)

Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, unveiled on Tuesday new initiatives aimed at driving the development and deployment of advanced digital solutions across its operations.

They were announced during the Global AI Summit (GAIN), which began at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh.

Aramco's Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation, Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, said: “New digital technologies such as generative AI and the Industrial Internet of Things are expected to transform not only how we work, but also our commercial environment.”

“Aramco is pioneering the use of these technologies at an industrial scale to add significant value across our operations. Our history of innovation inspires us to continue harnessing emerging technologies and help realize the Kingdom’s ambitions to become a global AI leader,” he added.

During the Global AI Summit, Aramco signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Cerebras Systems and FuriosaAI to explore collaboration in supercomputing and AI. Another MoU with Rebellions focuses on the potential deployment of the company’s Neural Processing Unit chips in Aramco’s data centers to enhance digital infrastructure and drive advanced AI innovations.

Aramco also signed an MoU with SambaNova Systems to explore ways to accelerate AI capabilities, innovation, and adoption across the Kingdom.

In addition, Aramco announced the deployment of an AI supercomputer, one of the first systems of its kind in the region. Powered by some of the most powerful NVIDIA graphical processing units (GPUs), it is designed to accelerate complex computing tasks, such as analyzing drilling plans and geological data to recommend optimal well placement.

Aramco has also collaborated with Qualcomm Technologies on the initial deployment of industrial generative AI solutions on the edge, aimed at enhancing facility monitoring, predictive maintenance, and the use of autonomous drones.

These initiatives are part of Aramco’s broader strategy to adopt cutting-edge digital solutions across its business. This builds on the company’s launch of the Saudi Accelerated Innovation Lab (SAIL) — a national engine to transform innovative ideas into fully functional products — and its Global AI Corridor ecosystem.

Aramco’s approach has led to the creation of its first large language model (LLM) for industrial AI applications and the launch of the Eye on AI Program, which aims to establish robust AI cybersecurity governance, equip users with essential cybersecurity skills, and adapt to the rapidly evolving digital landscape.