One programmer out of every 100 Saudi nationals by 2030, KSA announces SR 4bn tech initiative

Jiddah: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched a package of qualitative initiatives and technological programs with a total value of over $1.2 billion (SR4 billion) aimed at improving the digital skills of 100,000 Saudi youngsters by 2030.

The announcement was made at an event called 'Launch' held on Wednesday, hosted by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), as well as the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).

The move, done in cooperation with ten of the world's key technology giants is the biggest technological launch of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa. The project aims to enhance digital capabilities and designed to create one programmer out of every 100 Saudi nationals by 2030, in addition to encouraging innovation and creativity and achieving global leadership.

A number of the world's leading technology companies topped by (Google, Amazon, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, Trend Micro and Avance Security), announced their cooperation with the Kingdom in "launching its training programs" by centers specialized in raising the digital capabilities of young national cadres, and other centers working in the field of innovation in technological entrepreneurship.

Organizers of the 'event of Launch' unveiled three major initiatives (Tuwaiq, Hemmah, Qemmah), which aim, as a whole, to raise the digital capabilities of female and male youths in the fields of programming, enhance trust between technological companies and funding agencies and encourage innovation and creativity through central gatherings and platforms.

The Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Programming and Drones and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology launched the two biggest technological initiatives represented by the "Tuwaiq Camp 1000" initiative, which ends with employment as well as the initiative of "Future Skills", which will be held in the Kingdom's 13 regions through 40 training camps covering four fields: cybersecurity, programming, artificial intelligence & data science and electronic games industry.

During the Launch event, the Kingdom announced that it will organize and host the global "Leap" conference next year, the world's biggest technological event and first of its kind in the region.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Sawaha unveiled the manufacture of the first Saudi-made smart chip to be used in military, civil and commercial applications.

He explained that these smart chips have a processing power that is more than 60,000 times that is used in the human journey to the moon, and in smart phones and what giant companies, such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, Sixo, Oracle and Alibaba use, which represent 60% of the power.

The head of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority Abdullah Al-Ghamdi said that Saudi Arabia aims to be one of the top 5 countries globally in AI, and this requires the creation of 25,000 specialists' jobs in data science and AI before 2030.

The whole project comes as a translation of the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, in order to achieve the goals of the Kingdom's vision to seize the opportunities of the digital economy.

Moreover, these huge initiatives consolidate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's position as a regional technological hub for the most important entrepreneurs, innovators and programmers from the region and the world.