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First Microsoft Datacenter Academy in Middle East Launched in Saudi Arabia 

The Microsoft DCA is a two-year commitment to empower students with a focus on building applied datacenter skills, thereby enhancing their employability in high-demand technical roles and contributing to the Kingdom's economic diversification. (SPA)
The Microsoft DCA is a two-year commitment to empower students with a focus on building applied datacenter skills, thereby enhancing their employability in high-demand technical roles and contributing to the Kingdom's economic diversification. (SPA)
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First Microsoft Datacenter Academy in Middle East Launched in Saudi Arabia 

The Microsoft DCA is a two-year commitment to empower students with a focus on building applied datacenter skills, thereby enhancing their employability in high-demand technical roles and contributing to the Kingdom's economic diversification. (SPA)
The Microsoft DCA is a two-year commitment to empower students with a focus on building applied datacenter skills, thereby enhancing their employability in high-demand technical roles and contributing to the Kingdom's economic diversification. (SPA)

Microsoft Arabia and the National IT Academy (NITA) announced that the US software giant's first Datacenter Academy (DCA) in the Middle East will be launched in Saudi Arabia.

The Microsoft DCA is a two-year commitment to empower students with a focus on building applied datacenter skills, thereby enhancing their employability in high-demand technical roles and contributing to the Kingdom's economic diversification.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of LEAP 2025 in Riyadh.

The initiative aims to develop Saudi Arabia's national workforce, fostering a strong talent pool to lead the region's datacenter industry, enhance digital infrastructure and boost innovation.

By equipping professionals with the expertise needed to drive the Kingdom’s digital transformation, the Academy supports Saudi Vision 2030 and the government's objective to establish the Kingdom as a global hub for datacenters and innovation.

The launch of the initiative also comes shortly after Microsoft shared updates on the development of its datacenter region in the Kingdom; construction is complete on three Azure Availability Zones with availability anticipated in 2026. Microsoft’s datacenter region in Saudi Arabia is expected to have a transformative impact on the Kingdom's cloud market, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 23.4 percent to reach $3.9 billion in 2027.

Commenting on this announcement, NITA’s executive director Nora Al-Shaikh said: "This partnership with Microsoft represents a significant milestone in our journey to establish Saudi Arabia as a global hub for datacenters. The Microsoft Datacenter Academy will empower professionals with the expertise needed to drive the Kingdom’s digital transformation and realize the ambitions of Vision 2030."

The Microsoft Datacenter Academy builds on Microsoft’s global efforts to provide accessible, practical, and high-quality training programs for the communities where it operates. By focusing on areas such as IT support, cloud technologies and datacenter operations, the Academy equips participants with globally recognized certifications and the skills necessary to enter and excel in high-demand technical roles.

This initiative not only introduces advanced technology but also ensures that qualified NITA students have access to the specialized skills needed to succeed in the rapidly evolving datacenter industry.

"The launch of the first Microsoft Datacenter Academy in the Middle East underscores our commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia's ambitious vision to become a global hub for digital innovation," said Microsoft Arabia vice president of national digital transformation Zainab Alamin.

"This academy will equip professionals with the highly specialized technical skills needed to thrive in the era of AI. Through this initiative, we are fostering local talent, creating new economic opportunities and preparing the Kingdom's workforce to lead in the next generation of digital transformation."

The curriculum is carefully designed to align with the core competencies essential for datacenter roles across the technology sector, encompassing datacenter infrastructure management, information-technology (IT) support, troubleshooting and mechanical services. It also incorporates experiential training in advanced areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, automation and cyber security.

Upon completion of the curriculum, students are eligible to earn either a certificate of completion or a diploma.

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Technology

Meta Spending Big on AI Talent but Will It Pay Off?

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's controlling interest in the tech titan frees him to have the company invest heavily in artificial intelligence efforts. Nathan Howard / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's controlling interest in the tech titan frees him to have the company invest heavily in artificial intelligence efforts. Nathan Howard / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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Meta Spending Big on AI Talent but Will It Pay Off?

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's controlling interest in the tech titan frees him to have the company invest heavily in artificial intelligence efforts. Nathan Howard / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's controlling interest in the tech titan frees him to have the company invest heavily in artificial intelligence efforts. Nathan Howard / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Mark Zuckerberg and Meta are spending billions of dollars for top talent to make up ground in the generative artificial intelligence race, sparking doubt about the wisdom of the spree.

OpenAI boss Sam Altman recently lamented that Meta has offered $100 million bonuses to engineers who jump to Zuckerberg's ship, where hefty salaries await, reported AFP.

A few OpenAI employees have reportedly taken Meta up on the offer, joining Scale AI founder and former chief executive Alexandr Wang at the Menlo Park-based tech titan.

Meta paid more than $14 billion for a 49 percent stake in Scale AI in mid-June, bringing Wang on board as part of the deal.

Scale AI labels data to better train AI models for businesses, governments and labs.

"Meta has finalized our strategic partnership and investment in Scale AI," a Meta spokesperson told AFP.

"As part of this, we will deepen the work we do together producing data for AI models and Alexandr Wang will join Meta to work on our superintelligence efforts."

US media outlets have reported that Meta's recruitment effort has also targeted OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever; Google rival Perplexity AI, and hot AI video startup Runway.

Meta chief Zuckerberg is reported to have sounded the charge himself due to worries Meta is lagging rivals in the generative AI race.

The latest version of Meta AI model Llama finished behind its heavyweight rivals in code writing rankings at an LM Arena platform that lets users evaluate the technology.

Meta is integrating recruits into a new team dedicated to developing "superintelligence," or AI that outperforms people when it comes to thinking and understanding.

'Mercenary'

Tech blogger Zvi Moshowitz felt Zuckerberg had to do something about the situation, expecting Meta to succeed in attracting hot talent but questioning how well it will pay off.

"There are some extreme downsides to going pure mercenary... and being a company with products no one wants to work on," Moshowitz told AFP.

"I don't expect it to work, but I suppose Llama will suck less."

While Meta's share price is nearing a new high with the overall value of the company approaching $2 trillion, some investors have started to worry.

Institutional investors are concerned about how well Meta is managing its cash flow and reserves, according to Baird strategist Ted Mortonson.

"Right now, there are no checks and balances" with Zuckerberg free to do as he wishes running Meta, Mortonson noted.

The potential for Meta to cash in by using AI to rev its lucrative online advertising machine has strong appeal but "people have a real big concern about spending," said Mortonson.

Meta executives have laid out a vision of using AI to streamline the ad process from easy creation to smarter targeting, bypassing creative agencies and providing a turnkey solution to brands.

AI talent hires are a long-term investment unlikely to impact Meta's profitability in the immediate future, according to CFRA analyst Angelo Zino.

"But still, you need those people on board now and to invest aggressively to be ready for that phase" of generative AI, Zino said.

According to The New York Times, Zuckerberg is considering shifting away from Meta's Llama, perhaps even using competing AI models instead.

Penn State University professor Mehmet Canayaz sees potential for Meta to succeed with AI agents tailored to specific tasks at its platform, not requiring the best large language model.

"Even firms without the most advanced LLMs, like Meta, can succeed as long as their models perform well within their specific market segment," Canayaz said.