RIYADH: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rapidly emerging as a global AI leader, driven by its ambitious Vision 2030, according to the ‘State of AI in Saudi Arabia’ report, issued by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) in September 2024. Established in 2019, SDAIA plays a pivotal role in driving the national AI agenda. Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and with the continuous support of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of SDAIA’s Board of Directors, the Kingdom has made significant strides in this field.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the ‘State of AI in Saudi Arabia’ report provided a comprehensive overview of Saudi Arabia’s progress in AI, focusing on seven key pillars: policies and regulations, investment, infrastructure, data, talent and human capabilities, research and innovation, and adoption. The report highlighted the Kingdom’s global leadership in AI, as evide
nced by its top ranking in the pillar of government strategy for AI in the 2023 Global AI Index by Tortoise.
SDAIA’s Elevate AI training program received a certificate of excellence in the capabilities development category from the ITU WSIS Forum 2024. The Kingdom’s achievements extend further, with the National Data Bank and Estishraf platform awarded the ITU WSIS 2024 prize, under the category concerning the role of the government and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development.
In 2023, the Kingdom joined the UN AI Advisory Body, with a vision of more governed, ethical, and responsible use of AI. The Kingdom secured second place globally in terms of positivity and optimism toward AI products and services, according to Stanford AI Index 2023. To establish a robust regulatory framework, SDAIA issued 14 regulations and policies related to data and AI in 2024. It also established 245 data management offices in the public sector by 2024.
Government spending on emerging technologies, including A
I, grew at a compound annual growth rate of 59% between 2019 and 2023, as per the Digital Government Authority’s 2023 report. Crunchbase data indicates that the total attracted funds in Saudi AI companies reached $1.7 billion in 2023. In terms of AI infrastructure, the Kingdom ranked second in the Middle East in terms of the number of colocation data centers, with 22 active ones and 40 under development, in 2023.
The Kingdom boasts 10 supercomputers in 2024, eight of which are among the world’s top 500. The public cloud services market in the Kingdom experienced a 30% growth in 2023 compared to 2022, according to IDC reports. In 2024, SDAIA integrated 320 government systems into the National Data Lake, resulting in over 100TB of total stored data volume provided by over 60 government entities. SDAIA’s Open Data Platform hosted over 8,700 datasets provided by more than 230 government and private entities in 2024.
The report underscored the Kingdom’s commitment to global competitiveness by empowering talent,
developing human capabilities, and advancing knowledge in AI. Public awareness of AI has increased significantly, with 75% of the population familiar with the concept and 64% aware of its applications, according to SDAIA’s 2024 survey. In terms of education, 86% of Saudi universities offer bachelor programs related to AI, with 42% offering specialized AI programs, according to 2023 Ministry of Education data.
From 2019 to 2023, over 38,000 graduates earned AI-related degrees, such as computer science. LinkedIn data indicates a 51% annual growth rate in AI-skilled professionals in the Kingdom between 2018 and 2022. The Kingdom’s commitment to scientific research and innovation in AI has resulted in a 45% annual growth rate in AI-related scientific publications from 2019 to 2023, according to OECD data. The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property reported a 50% annual growth rate in AI-related patents during the same period.
The SDAIA Readiness and Adoption Survey, in 2024, revealed that 39% of government e
ntities are using or experimenting with AI. Moreover, 81% of these entities reported enhanced service delivery as a result of AI implementation.
