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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) yesterday

celebrated the launch of its brand identity at an event held at the Ritz

Carlton Hotel, in Riyadh under the theme, 'Data is the Oil of the 21st

Century'. Attended by ministers and top government officials, the celebration

marks SDAIA's readiness to establish the Kingdom among the world's leading

economies in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), which is expected to

contribute an estimated USD 135 billion to its GDP by 2030, corresponding to

12.4% of the national GDP.

The strategic importance of SDAIA's mandate is reflected in Saudi leadership's

recognition of its role in establishing the Kingdom as a global leader among

global data-driven economies. The value of the country's data and AI economy is

currently estimated at USD 4-5 billion, with an opportunity to generate

additional government revenues and savings of over USD 10 billion by harnessing

data insights to help guide government decisions.

Since the launch of the Saudi Vision 2030 program in 2016, Saudi Arabia has

made significant progress in unlocking the value of data as a national asset,

with close to 70% of 96 strategic goals under Vision 2030 closely related to

data and AI. The establishment of Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence

Authority (SDAIA), an entity mandated with driving the national data and AI

agenda for transforming the country into a leading data-driven economy, was a

major step in that direction.

Dr. Abdullah Bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, President of SDAIA, said, "We have witnessed

first-hand, the early impact of AI and data-driven initiatives and their

potential to propel Saudi Arabia's future economy, but we are still in the

early stages with several untapped opportunities available. We, at SDAIA, have

been tasked with defining the national data and AI strategy, and delivering on

our nation's vision for the future by optimizing our national resources,

improving efficiencies and enabling the creation of diversified economic

sectors."

SDAIA has made tremendous progress in its first year of operations, including:

1. Establishing a national data bank, that has already consolidated more than

80 government datasets, corresponding to 30% of government digital assets

2. Implementing the G-Cloud, with the aim to build one of the largest clouds in

the region by merging 83 datacenters owned by over 40 government bodies

3. Utilizing AI-analyzed data to detect opportunities that could generate more

than USD 10 billion in government savings and additional revenues, and

developing an ambitious and innovative data and AI strategy for the Kingdom.

Speaking at the SDAIA brand launch celebration held yesterday under the theme

of 'Data is the new oil', in Riyadh, Dr. Al-Ghamdi added, "Data is the single

most important driver of our growth and reform in the 21st century, and we have

a clear vision and roadmap for transforming Saudi Arabia into a leading AI and

data-driven economy. SDAIA is at the forefront of this transformation and is

primed for national data and AI agenda definition, implementation and

awareness."

SDAIA's vision is to establish the Kingdom as a global leader among the league

of data-driven economies. The establishment of SDAIA is a testament to

Kingdom's commitment towards this vision – SDAIA, as a world-class data and AI

governance body, is bringing global innovations to diversify the national

economy, and developing local human capital.

About the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)

Established by a royal decree issued on 30 August 2019 and directly linked to

the Prime Minister, Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) is

responsible for overseeing the national data and AI strategy through three

executive arms: The National Data Management Office (NDMO), the National

Information Center (NIC), and the National Center for Artificial Intelligence

(NCAI).

Through its vision, SDAIA seeks to establish the Kingdom as a global leader

among the league of data-driven economies. Its mission relies on unlocking the

value of data as a national asset to realize Vision 2030 aspirations by setting

the national data and AI strategy and overseeing its execution through

harmonized data policies, data and insights capabilities, and continuous AI and

data innovation.

SDAIA plays an important role in fulfilling the objectives of the Kingdom's

Vision 2030 as close to 70 percent of the Vision's objectives are directly

impacted by data and AI strategies. In addition, data and AI must be utilized

to the fullest extent so the Kingdom can fulfill the Vision's objective to

create a leading digital economy.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1100017/Abdullah_Bin_Sharaf.jpg

Source: Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)