Saudi Delegation Visits Portugal, Austria to Boost Saudi High-Tech Manufacturing

Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources logo
Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources logo
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Saudi Delegation Visits Portugal, Austria to Boost Saudi High-Tech Manufacturing

Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources logo
Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources logo

A Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources delegation recently visited Portugal and Austria to discuss enhancing cooperation in high-technology manufacturing. The delegation met with government and private entities in both countries.

In Portugal, the delegation, led by the Director General of Manufacturing Localization and Increasing Local Content Engineer Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Janini, held discussions with representatives of the Portuguese Trade and Investment Agency and the Arab-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The focus was on supporting and stimulating the high-tech manufacturing environment in Saudi Arabia and exchanging expertise in this field. The delegation also visited leading Portuguese factories in the high-tech manufacturing sector, including the Unicorn Factory incubator, which supports startups and entrepreneurs in the technology sector.

In Austria, the delegation visited the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) headquarters to review the Kingdom's efforts to support and develop the industrial environment. Additionally, the delegation discussed the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources' preparations to host the Multilateral Industrial Policy Forum 2024 (MIPF) in Riyadh this month.

The visits were part of the ministry's efforts to strengthen international partnerships that aim to support the development of the industrial sector, encourage innovation and knowledge transfer, localize advanced technologies, and enhance the Kingdom's position as a leading industrial center in the region.



Nvidia CEO Says Global Cooperation in Tech will Continue under Trump Administration

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang poses for a photo after receiving an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in Hong Kong on November 23, 2024. (Photo by Holmes CHAN / AFP)
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang poses for a photo after receiving an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in Hong Kong on November 23, 2024. (Photo by Holmes CHAN / AFP)
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Nvidia CEO Says Global Cooperation in Tech will Continue under Trump Administration

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang poses for a photo after receiving an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in Hong Kong on November 23, 2024. (Photo by Holmes CHAN / AFP)
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang poses for a photo after receiving an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in Hong Kong on November 23, 2024. (Photo by Holmes CHAN / AFP)

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Saturday that global cooperation in technology will continue even if the incoming US administration imposes stricter export controls on advanced computing products.
US President-elect Donald Trump, in his first term in office, imposed restrictions on the sale of US technology to China citing national security - a policy continued under President Joe Biden. The curbs forced Nvidia, the world's leading maker of chips used for artificial intelligence applications, to change its product lineup in China.
"Open science in global collaboration, cooperation across math and science has been around for a very long time. It is the foundation of social advancement and scientific advancement," Huang told media during a visit to Hong Kong.
Cooperation is "going to continue. I don't know what's going to happen in the new administration, but whatever happens, we'll balance simultaneously compliance with laws and policies, continue to advance our technology and support and serve customers all over the world."
The head of the world's most valuable company was speaking in the financial hub after receiving an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Reuters reported.
During the visit, Huang participated in a fireside chat with the university's Council Chairman Harry Sham in front of an audience of students and academics.
Asked about the huge energy requirements of graphics processing units - chips behind artificial intelligence - Huang said, "If the world uses more energy to power the AI factories of the world, we are a better world when that happens".
Huang said "the goal of AI is not for training, the goal of AI is for inference". He said AI can discover, for instance, new ways to store carbon dioxide in reservoirs, new wind turbine designs and new materials for storing electricity.
He said people should start thinking about placing AI supercomputers slightly off the power grid and let them use sustainable energy and in places away from populations.
"My hopes and dreams is that in the end, what we all see is that using energy for intelligence is the best use of energy we can imagine," Huang said.
Earlier on Saturday, Huang told graduates that "the age of AI has started" in a speech after receiving the honorary degree.
"A new computing era that will impact every industry and every field of science."