Saudi Arabia's Riyadh has emerged as the top Smart City in the Arab world, surpassing the capitals of France, Germany, and Spain in a global ranking. The Smart City index aims to assess how technology is improving the quality of life for residents. Riyadh has climbed from 55th in 2019 to 30th in the latest ranking, making it the third highest Arab city. Furthermore, Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah have made it to the list for the first time, with Makkah ranked 52nd, Jeddah at 56th, and Madinah at 85th. Abu Dhabi and Dubai remain the leading Arab cities, ranking 13th and 17th on the list of 141 settlements.
The Smart City observatory, one of the global indexes that evaluates the readiness of cities, is an interdisciplinary approach for researchers, urban planners, and decision-makers to assess the contribution of smart technologies in improving the quality of life for residents. The improvement in Saudi cities' ranking is attributed to the collective efforts of concerned agencies, including the National Smart City Platform launched by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority.
Read more: SA: Riyadh Emerges as Top Smart City in Arab World, According to Global Ranking
Four cities in Saudi Arabia - Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah - have ranked high in the IMD Smart City Index (SCI) list for 2023, reported SPA.
The Saudi capital maintained its position as the 3rd Arab city in the IMD Smart City Index (SCI) 2023, which saw for the first time the cities of Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah included in the observatory, ranking 4th, 5th and 7th respectively.
Read more: Saudi cities rank high on IMD Arab Smart City Index 2023
Dagang NeXchange Bhd (DNeX) and Ajlan & Bros Holding Group have teamed up to "revolutionise" smart cities integration and large IT projects in Saudi Arabia as well as other countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Both companies signed an agreement to establish a joint-venture company for the purpose on Thursday during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's three-day official visit to the kingdom.
Riyadh has maintained its position as the 3rd Arab city in the IMD Smart City Index (SCI) 2023, which saw for the first time the Saudi cities of Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah included in the index, ranking the 4th, 5th and 7th respectively.
At the global level, Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah have ranked 30th, 52nd, 56th, and 85th respectively out of the 141 cities included in the index produced by The Smart City Observatory, which seeks to find out how technology is enabling cities to achieve a higher quality of life for their inhabitants.
Read more: Four Saudi Cities Rank High on IMD Smart City Index
At Rise Up Summit we checked out, “The Future Of Investments In The Area” panel, given that this is current talk of town given a growing global economic crisis. Several speakers participated to give their two cents and we were most interested with what Hashim Nabulsi, director of investments at NEOM in Saudi Arabia had to say.
For those who don’t know, NEOM is a smart city in the heart of Saudi Arabia ambitiously aiming to run entirely on renewable energy while promoting new technical breakthroughs. Speaking of talk of the town; NEOM has been word of mouth for its ambitious and futuristic designs and function.
Read more: SA: Key Insights From NEOM’s Investment Director Hashim Nabulsi