IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The Saudi government must keep pace with technological advances if the Kingdom is to stay on course to become the digital hub of the region, a major international conference has been told.

More than 200 executive directors of information technology from government departments throughout Saudi Arabia, gathered in Riyadh to discuss digitization and how to adapt it to benefit society.

The first edition of the Global Smart City Forum 2024 concluded in Riyadh on Tuesday with a revelation that Saudi Arabia is poised to create more smart industrial zones. The two-day forum saw several deliberations focusing on the future of smart cities and the challenges facing their infrastructure. The forum stressed the importance of integrating smart energy solutions for a sustainable future. It was revealed in the forum that the smart industrial zones would have great opportunities for the future in the fields of manufacturing and mining.

Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majed Al-Hogail inaugurated the forum, organized by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, at Riyadh Arena. A large number of global city experts, specialists in data, artificial intelligence and digital solutions, smart city engineers, investors and economic policy makers from 40 countries participated in the conference under the theme “A Better Life”.

The latest edition of a framework designed to enhance e-government services and accelerate digital innovation in Saudi Arabia has been launched.

The Digital Transformation Index for 2024 seeks to elevate the commitment levels of the public sector to decisions and directives concerning technological evolution.

Additionally, it aims to improve the quality of e-government services offered to beneficiaries and contribute to the Kingdom’s international leadership in this field, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman the Saudi Crown Prince and Chairman of the Board of Directors of NEOM promised to build a network of smart cities, in which there will be no cars or roads. This smart city network is called ”The Line”.

Bin Salman explained by 2050, a billion people would be displaced due to rising CO2 emissions and sea levels. And that currently, 90% of people are breathing polluted air. As well, the infrastructure will cost $100 billion to $200 billion.

Saudi Arabia ranked first in the Government Electronic and Mobile Services Maturity Index for 2023, issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Kingdom maintained its lead for the second consecutive year with a high maturity score of 93 percent in the overall index result.

Eng. Ahmed Alsuwaiyan, governor of Digital Government Authority, said that this international achievement reflects the outcomes of the efforts made by government agencies in digital transformation. It is also the manifestation of the great support that the digital government ecosystem receives from the wise leadership, to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 programs in building a digital society and investing in new technologies to increase productivity, achieve efficiency, and provide the best experience for all beneficiaries.

Saudi Cabinet approval on Tuesday for the establishment of Digital Government Authority (DGA) proves the Kingdom’s commitment to becoming a leading digital economy, experts said.

This will be achieved by adopting digital transformation in government services on a par with international standards, according to Mohammed Khurram Khan, a professor of cybersecurity at King Saud University, Riyadh.

Mirror-faced linear development would be 200m wide, 500m tall and home to 9 million people

Concept designs have been revealed of Saudi Arabia’s proposals for a linear smart city that would effectively be a 170km-long skyscraper.

Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman last year set out an initial vision for the project, named the Line, in Saudi Arabia’s north-west. However the project has been in development for several years.

• Deal with Alibaba cloud will 'help Saudi Arabia’s journey to develop world-class smart cities'

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) signed three agreements with IBM, Alibaba and Huawei on Thursday.

The memorandums of understanding came on the second day of the Global AI Summit being held in the Kingdom.

The specifics of the initiatives will be explored during the 3rd Annual Kingdom e-Government Summit which will feature a keynote address from the Director of the Strategic Planning and Support Initiatives of Yesser, Engineer Suhail Al Almaee.

Orange Business to design, build and run new end-to-end platform, integrating AI and data analytics into existing KAFD digital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia

Orange Business has inked a transformative deal with the King Abdullah Financial District Development & Management Company (KAFD DMC) to propel Riyadh’s prestigious business district, the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), into the era of smart urban development. This strategic partnership aims to create a cutting-edge Smart City Platform that will seamlessly integrate and connect existing digital technologies while harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics.

• The Kingdom beat France, Indonesia and China to claim top spot among the G20 member states
• Elsewhere in the Middle East, Iran and Lebanon dropped significantly

Saudi Arabia has been ranked first among 140 nations for its digital competitiveness as it invests heavily in the technology sector.

In 2017, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, announced the launch of the nation’s futuristic and fully automated business zone, NEOM. This hi-tech business hub, to be located in the Tabuk province in the northwestern part of Saudi Arabia along the Red Sea coast, is to be established at a cost of US $500 billion (INR 37.5 lakh crore). The region has been selected in view of its relatively mild climate. Most of Saudi Arabia has a desert climate with extremely oppressive day temperatures of above 45° Celsius. The project’s total area is slated to be 26,500 square kilometre and will link Jordan and Egypt via Saudi territory. The project is expected to generate 380,000 jobs and contribute US $48 billion (INR 36,000 crore) to the kingdom’s GDP by 2030.

Saudi Arabia is leading the digitalization wave in the wellness space by improving quality care, patient experience, and sustainable health development on par with the best in the world.

The Kingdom aims to restructure the health sector by enhancing its capabilities as an effective, integrated, value-based ecosystem focused on the patient’s health.

The kingdom is on the verge of achieving what has never been done before: Building a mega smart city that will serve not just as a destination but as a sustainable living and working environment

NEOM – a futuristic linear city, as its founder, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman envisioned it as KSA’s bold move to reaffirm its commitment to environmental conservation. This is clearly demonstrated in the project’s deliberate design to ensure that the $500 billion city is solely made up of green buildings – a key component of building an eco-friendly habitat.

Saudi Arabia’s futuristic NEOM could revolutionize the way people look at cities and urban planning, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday in Davos.

The planned smart city will span 26,500-square-km and is set to run on 100 percent renewable energy and be car free.

In a pioneering move towards digital transformation, Saudi Arabia’s National Housing Company (NHC) signed on Sunday a contract with the Republic of Korea's NAVER Cloud Platform to implement smart city solutions on the digital twin platform "Baladi."

The collaboration aims to adopt global best practices in the municipal and housing sectors by utilizing innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and advanced cloud services.

Saudi Arabia was represented five times in the 2024 edition of the International Institute for Management Development Smart City Index

The evolution of smart cities in Saudi Arabia could change the residential landscape of the Kingdom, as high-net-worth individuals discover these communities are perfect destinations for setting up homes, according to experts.

Smart cities integrate artificial intelligence alongside information and communications technology to derive actionable insight from infrastructure, systems and processes to enhance the quality of life and safety for citizens.

A global roadshow to promote investment opportunities in a planned $500 billion (£376 billion) megacity in Saudi Arabia called Neom has kicked off with a major conference in London.

The inaugural Discover Neom event was held at Spencer House in St James’s Place and attended by about 250 guests, including City grandee Baroness Morrissey, former culture minister Lord Vaizey, and TV adventurer Bear Grylls.

Speaking after the formal opening of the second National Conference on E-Health, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Muqrin as saying: “If there is a failure in the implementation of the e-governance, it is not the system that is responsible but some bureaucrats who do not want efficiency and achievements.”

The Ministry of Justice has achieved the highest rates in its e-transaction services to hit over 90 percent in the excellence stage of its electronic program in 2016, according to a report released by the e-government program Yesser.

The report divided the ministry’s e-transformation phases into four successive stages: Building, accessibility, excellence and integration.