Saudi Arabia has revealed its new National Strategy for Data and AI (NSDAI) which will make the country a global leader in Artificial Intelligence by 2030.
Saudi Arabia’s National Strategy for Data and AI intends to put AI at the heart of the country’s development and growth. By 2030, Saudi Arabia’s vision is to become the place where the best of data and AI is made reality.
The NSDAI, which will be led by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), was officially launched recently at the Global AI Summit in Riyadh. Under the strategy, Saudi Arabia will implement a multi-phase, multi-faceted plan that includes skills, policy and regulation, investment, research and innovation, and ecosystem development. This will enable the country to become a global hub for data and AI, and to rank among the top data-driven economies in the world.
Speaking at the launch of the strategy, HE Dr Abdullah Bin Sharaf Alghamdi, President of SDAIA, said: “The National Strategy for Data and AI sets the direction and foundations upon which we will unlock the potential of data and AI to fulfil our national transformation priorities and establish Saudi Arabia as a global hub for data and AI.”
Saudi Arabia has a strong foundation for its AI ambitions, based on the country’s unique scale in critical industries and its position as an investment powerhouse with a focus on technology. The Kingdom also has a young population and a desire for large scale transformative programmes such as Vision 2030. Upcoming Saudi megaprojects including NEOM Smart City, Qiddiya entertainment and leisure capital and National Industrial Development and Logistics Programme, will provide testbeds and living laboratories for advanced AI and data-driven concepts and applications.
The Kingdom has already implemented a unique data infrastructure with a centralised ecosystem of resources to support government agencies to successfully complete their AI initiatives, including a National Data Bank, G-Cloud, and a whole-government analytics and AI platform.
Saudi Arabia also aspires to play an active role in the global dialogue on the use of AI to support economic and social development. The Global AI Summit has been inaugurated as an international platform to connect thought leaders and high-level decision makers in AI, and to host discussions on the most important issues related to this emerging technology.
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