SDAIA Supports Saudi Arabia's Leading Position in UN Online Service Index

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's leading position in the UN E-Government Development Index 2024 (OSI) for open government data and digital knowledge and skills reflects the efforts made by the Kingdom in transforming to a digital economy and contributing to building a national economy based on data within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030. Open data is one of the strategic priorities that countries worldwide rely on to develop their economies.
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) is one of the government agencies that effectively occupied first place in these two vital fields: open data, digital knowledge, and skills. It is the competent authority in the Kingdom for data, including big data and artificial intelligence (AI), and the national reference in everything related to them regarding organization and development. SDAIA is responsible for building national expertise and capabilities specialized in the data and AI sectors.
Since its establishment in 2019, SDAIA has been making great efforts to lead the national trend for data and AI. The authority aims to contribute to advancing the Kingdom to leadership among economies based on data and AI. SDAIA also intensifies efforts to raise the Kingdom's position in global data and AI indicators. It receives continuous and ongoing support from HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and SDAIA Chairman of the Board of Directors.
In early 2022, SDAIA announced the launch of the Open Data Program in partnership with several government agencies. The aim is to increase transparency, enhance innovation to support and achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, and raise the Kingdom's ranking in international indicators related to open data. Additionally, the program aims to increase the quality of data and support visions for making appropriate decisions in research and innovation, as well as data-based products, including digital applications and solutions.
SDAIA is committed to maximizing the potential of data and AI opportunities, not only as a strategic choice but as a key factor in achieving the vision's ambitious goals beyond economic diversification plans. The authority aims to draw a future where digitization is integral to all aspects of life and where data is discovered and invested in the country's service.
The authority has developed eight main principles, including data as a national asset. The National Data Management Framework was built to consist of 14 domains: data governance, data quality, data catalog and metadata, reference and master data management, document and content management, data architecture and modeling, data storage, sharing and interoperability, business intelligence and analytics, data value realizing, open data, freedom of information, data classification, and personal data protection.
In late 2023, SDAIA and the National Transformation Program organized the Saudi Data Forum to raise awareness about the field of open data and its impact on the labor sector in the Kingdom. The forum aimed to increase individuals' trust in open data and highlight the promising opportunities in the Kingdom from using open data in developing solutions and applications. Additionally, it aimed to enhance the concept of data use and the role of innovation by launching the National Data Index.
SDAIA developed the updated version of the Open Data Domain by Saudi competencies who used the latest global technologies to serve individuals, governmental, and non-governmental entities, enhancing transparency and creating a national economy based on data. The initiative enabled entities to publish their open data and make it available to beneficiaries such as entrepreneurs. The aim is to allow them to build innovative products that contribute to building a digital economy in the Kingdom. Over 250 open-data publishers registered on the platform and published over 9,000 open-data sets and over 35 use cases.
With regard to the Digital Knowledge and Skills Index, SDAIA has continued its efforts to build national capacities through its academy, which organizes a number of training programs and camps annually aimed at developing talent in data and AI. The target groups include three main categories: beginners, specialists, and experts/scientists. SDAIA aims to train 15,000 specialists and 5,000 experts, with over 170 experts and scientists currently on staff. The awareness-raising index has surpassed the target set for 2025 by more than 45,000 beneficiaries across the Kingdom.
The authority has contributed to increasing knowledge and digital skills in data and AI, providing training to over 628,000 beginners in one year and providing specialized programs for around 7,625 experts. The academy has partnered with 45 local and international organizations to enhance cooperation and knowledge exchange, and it has organized more than 35 camps and training programs, along with over 100 workshops and events.
The academy has conducted several activities aimed at increasing knowledge about data and AI, including the International AI Olympiad (IAIO) and the Smartest Olympiad, which involved over 620,000 Saudi students. More than 500,000 students benefited from accompanying programs, alongside training nearly 10,000 teachers in AI. Additionally, the "Elevate" program was launched to empower over 25,000 women worldwide in AI as a Saudi initiative to promote equality in the workforce.
This year, SDAIA launched the "One Million Saudis for AI" initiative, dubbed "Smai," aiming to enable 1 million Saudis to engage with an AI-driven world and ensure a future where technology enhances human potential by raising awareness of AI and its uses and ethics. SDAIA initiated an AI scholarship program aimed at contributing to the national strategy for data and AI and positioning the Kingdom among the leading countries in AI through external scholarships for national talents to compete globally. Furthermore, SDAIA launched a Generative AI Academy in partnership with NVIDIA and an AI Academy in collaboration with Microsoft.
In just two years, specialists in data science and AI have been empowered through over 45 training programs and 25 local and international partnerships with major tech and educational institutions, such as Google Cloud, Coursera, NVIDIA, and IBM Skills Build. Specialized training camps were held in data and AI, including the "T5" camp, focusing on data governance and management to bridge the gap in national talent. Additionally, the "Open Data Datathon" was held in September 2023, aiming to develop skills and talents in data science in the Kingdom and encourage participants to find solutions to real challenges using open data.
SDAIA launched the "Ghaya" accelerator, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, dedicated to transforming innovative models into successful AI-based businesses. The accelerator aims to provide all necessary components for the success of entrepreneurs and startups, enhancing the Kingdom's position as a leader in AI and fostering the adoption of AI technologies through the establishment of an effective and successful AI ecosystem to global standards, while also contributing to the creation of a vibrant community for local and international startups in AI, preparing 50 startups for investment (31 foreign and 19 Saudi), represented by 114 entrepreneurs from 20 countries worldwide.
Regarding Riyadh's ranking as third in the UN index, SDAIA strengthened this national role by establishing the National Smart Cities Platform (Smart C), aimed at supporting several vital sectors, including the municipal sector, to play a significant role in enhancing the urban landscape in various major cities across the Kingdom, alongside supporting planning efforts and improving the quality of life.
Through the National Smart Cities Platform, SDAIA has provided a range of advanced analytics through simulation models that support the building of future plans and directions with solutions based on AI algorithms, smart city operation centers, and digital certification services, including digital stamping and the Naba platform. Moreover, SDAIA has provided the Tawakkalna application, a comprehensive national application that serves individuals and governmental and private entities, as well as the "Sawtak" project, an AI system that converts speech into text using Arabic dialect recognition. This can be used to automate meeting minutes, develop conversational systems, and build interactive voice systems.