KSA launches AI academy to boost digital transformation
Digital transformation is poised for advancement in the Kingdom with the launch of an academy in collaboration with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority and NVIDIA.
The Industrial Artificial Intelligence Academy underscores the importance of nurturing qualified national talents to compete globally and fulfill ambitious goals, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
It aims to empower a generation adept at leveraging industrial AI to innovate smart spaces and operations while fostering collaboration with leading technical entities to develop advanced technologies.
This will contribute significantly to the progress of industrial artificial intelligence technologies in Saudi Arabia. This initiative, launched on the sidelines of the Global Smart City Forum, reflects the Kingdom’s aspiration to be an active global player and utilize AI for humanity’s benefit, the report added. The academy’s launch is a part of the ongoing efforts by SDAIA, serving as the national authority for data and artificial intelligence in the Kingdom.
It underscores the significance of building skilled national talents and fostering global competitiveness through the active integration of AI in smart cities. This initiative aims to position the Kingdom as a global hub for latest technologies and AI-related advancements.
The Global Smart City Forum endeavors to shape a vision for future cities through smart solutions, establishing principles for sustainable urban development, and enhancing the quality of life while supporting urban development plans.
Manufacturing and mining
On the sidelines of the first forum in Riyadh, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, in collaboration with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, also announced the inauguration of the AI Center for
Manufacturing and Mining.
This initiative aims to unlock the full potential of data and AI and support the strategic ambitions to make the Kingdom a global logistics hub, enhancing the growth rate of the industry and local content.
“Where we are focusing on helping our economy, be digitalized and be able to benefit from new technologies,” Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef said during his speech. He underlined that Saudi Arabia had initiated its national industrial strategy, which entails ambitious objectives such as tripling manufacturing gross domestic product, more than doubling manufacturing employment, and increasing exports threefold by the end of 2030.
The minister stated that the Kingdom plans to triple the number of factories under the National Industrial Strategy.
“We are betting on technology to fulfill these objectives and leapfrog our global industrial competitiveness,” Alkhorayef said. By clustering new factories equipped with the latest technology within smart industrial cities, the Kingdom aims to enhance competitiveness, prioritize worker safety, demonstrate resilience, and embrace sustainability.
“We are not starting from scratch,” Alkhorayef said, adding: “Saudi Arabia is fortunate to have clustered most of its manufacturing capabilities in 40 integrated industrial cities around the Kingdom.”