Saudi Arabia bets on multibillion-dollar data centers, says academic
Saudi Arabia is investing billions in data centers to boost its competitiveness in the AI economy, according to a University of Jeddah professor.
Key Takeaways
AIAbdullah Al-Ghosn, professor of data science at the University of Jeddah, said Saudi Arabia is betting on multibillion-dollar data centers.
Speaking to Asharq Bloomberg, he added that this strategy goes hand in hand with developing national leadership and forging global partnerships to strengthen the Kingdom’s competitiveness in the artificial intelligence economy.
He noted that investments in this sector are worth billions, with the cost of a single AI data center reaching up to $20 billion due to operational requirements and the need for specialized personnel.
Al-Ghosn emphasized the importance of training professionals to manage these technologies and highlighted the establishment of applications that simulate large language models.
Saudi Arabia is placing significant focus on this field, having established the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), which reports directly to the Prime Minister. The authority oversees the National Data Management Office, the National Center for Artificial Intelligence, and the National Information Center. SDAIA enjoys legal personality and administrative and financial independence, with its headquarters in Riyadh.
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