Saudi Arabia Launches Phase Two of National AI Strategy

The Kingdom Aims to Become a Global AI Hub

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 15, 2026 - The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has announced the launch of Phase Two of the National AI Strategy, an ambitious step aimed at strengthening the Kingdom's position as a global leader in artificial intelligence.

New Strategy Goals

Phase Two of the strategy includes ambitious goals:

Investment and Funding

$20 billion investment in AI infrastructure
Establishment of a $5 billion investment fund to support startups
Strategic partnerships with major global tech companies

Human Capital Development

Training 100,000 AI specialists by 2030
Launching 20 master's and doctoral programs in Saudi universities
Scholarships for outstanding students at top global universities

Infrastructure

Building 3 mega data centers with supercomputing capabilities
Launching a national AI cloud platform
Providing open data for researchers and developers

Sector Applications

The strategy focuses on applying AI in vital sectors:

Healthcare Sector

Smart diagnostic systems in 200 hospitals
National electronic health records platform
Advanced surgical robots

Financial Sector

Advanced fraud detection systems
Personalized smart banking services
AI-based credit risk analysis

Energy Sector

Improving oil and gas production efficiency
Smart systems for electrical grid management
Energy demand forecasting

Official Statements

The President of SDAIA stated:

"This phase represents a quantum leap in the Kingdom's digital transformation journey. We are building an integrated AI ecosystem that combines investment in infrastructure, national talent development, and innovation in applications."

Previous Achievements

During Phase One of the strategy, the Kingdom achieved tangible results:

First place in the Arab world on the Government AI Readiness Index
Launch of more than 300 government AI projects
Graduation of 25,000 specialists in data science
Attracting 50 global tech companies to the Kingdom

International Cooperation

The strategy includes partnerships with:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Stanford University
Google, Microsoft, and Amazon
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Next Steps

The coming months are expected to witness:

Launch of the first Saudi large Arabic language model
Opening of the AI Research Center in Riyadh
Hosting the Global AI Summit in September 2026

This move comes within the framework of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to diversify the economy and build an advanced knowledge-based economy.