Page 53 - SAMENA Trends - June-August 2021

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Saudi Arabia Launches Tech Initiatives Worth US$1 Billion

Saudi Arabia has announced a package of qualitative initiatives, in the region over the coming five years in academies,
technological programmes as well investment funds with a total value of training and innovation centers in the Kingdom to
nearly SR4 billion ($1.06 billion), the biggest technological launch of its build and develop capabilities in technological fields,
kind in the Mena region. The move, done in cooperation with ten of the to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.
world's key technology giants, aims to enhance digital capabilities and The Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Programming
designed to create one programmer out of every 100 Saudi nationals by and Drones and the Ministry of Communications and
2030, in addition to encouraging innovation and creativity and achieving Information Technology launched the two biggest
global leadership, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The move follows technological initiatives represented by the "Tuwaiq
directives of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Camp 1000" initiative, which ends with employment as
Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, in order to achieve well as the initiative of "Future Skills", which will be held
the goals of the Kingdom's vision to seize the opportunities of the digital in the Kingdom's 13 regions through 40 training camps
economy. Moreover, these huge initiatives consolidate the Kingdom’s covering four fields: cybersecurity, programming, artificial
position as a regional technological hub for the most important intelligence & data science and electronic games industry.
entrepreneurs, innovators and programmers from the region and the world. During the Launch event, the Kingdom announced that it
They also come as a culmination of the distinguished partnership between will organize and host the global “Leap” conference next
the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Saudi year, the world's biggest technological event and first of
Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, its kind in the region. It also announced that it will host
Programming and Drones. A number of the world's leading technology the RiseUp Summit in Riyadh, the biggest of its kind in
companies topped by (Google, Amazon, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, the Mena region for entrepreneurs and start-ups. The
Trend Micro and Avance Security), announced their cooperation with the details of the biggest global conference @Hack in the
Kingdom in “launching its training programs” by centers specialized in field of cybersecurity will also continue to be announced
raising the digital capabilities of young national cadres, and other centers within the activities of the Riyadh season, in partnership
working in the field of innovation in technological entrepreneurship. between the General Entertainment Authority and the
Organizers of the 'event of Launch' unveiled three major initiatives Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and
(Tuwaiq, Hemmah, Qemmah), which aim, as a whole, to raise the digital Drones, with Informatech and Black Hat to address cyber
capabilities of female and male youths in the fields of programming, threats around the world by hosting Offensive Security
enhance trust between technological companies and funding agencies experts for information security training, while hosting the
and encourage innovation and creativity through central gatherings and biggest challenge of its kind in the Mena region. Among
platforms. Among the important announcements of the 'event of launch', the announcements that the ‘event of launch’ witnessed
is the unveiling of the Saudi-Chinese eWTP Arabia Capital Fund, which is the launch of SDAIA Academy designed to contribute
seeks to support emerging technology companies in the Kingdom with to building capabilities and enabling it in the field of IA
a capital of SR1.5 billion ($400 million), in partnership between the and data science, the launch of “Satr" platform” for
Chinese eWTp backed by Alibaba and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) programming with more than 1,300 educational videos,
with the support of the Saudi Federation for cybersecurity, programming and the “Coderhub” platform, the first Arab platform
and drones to contribute to supporting a solid economic system for specialized in programming challenges with more than
digital business in the Kingdom. Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology 400 challenges and the launch of a special "Drones"
backbone of the Alibaba Group, aims to cooperate with local partners platform to serve drone users inside the Kingdom and
the business sector, in addition to the launch of the DJI
Academy, the first accredited training centre for drones
to serve trainees in the Kingdom and the Middle East
region in partnership with the global DJI Academy and
STC. In addition, a partnership with the leading e-gaming
company, OneMT, is scheduled to open a special studio
in Riyadh. Trend Micro announced the establishment
of its regional headquarters in Riyadh, and the start of
registration for the Apple Developer Academy, the first
of its kind in the Mena region, dedicated to programmers
and developers in its first phase, at its headquarters
at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in
Riyadh. Erbak media project was also announced to take
place with the aim of providing content interested in
entrepreneurship in the Arab world in cooperation with
mbc group and Thmanyah for publishing and distribution,
under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications
and Information Technology.

53 JUN-AUG 2021