Microsoft is steadily expanding its footprint in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It has now announced the launch of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre of Excellence in Riyadh in association with PwC Middle East. The announcement was made during LEAP 2024.
The center is aimed at upskilling and scaling the AI capabilities of Saudi engineers and researchers. This is in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a robust and comprehensive plan for the Kingdom’s digital transformation. Saudi Arabia has emerged as the fastest growing data center market in the Middle East and this growth will only continue given the Kingdom’s push for creating digital infrastructure to support its dream to become an international hub of business, commerce and industry.
According to a press release, the young Saudi professionals will be trained in cutting-edge AI skills and technologies including Azure OpenAI and open source models and frameworks. It further said, “As part of the collaboration, Microsoft will provide expertise, training resources, and access to cutting-edge AI technology platforms. PwC’s role within the framework will spearhead the strategic approach, programme management, operational framework, and curriculum development for the Centre of Excellence.”
Turki Badhris, President, Microsoft Arabia, said, “Skilling the workforce to take advantage of cloud and AI technologies is crucial to unlocking the full potential of these transformative technologies, and we are proud to play a role in this important endeavour,” adding, “Through our partnership with PwC Middle East and the launch of the AI Centre of Excellence in Riyadh, we aim to provide young Saudi engineers with the skills and tools they need to help drive innovation and economic growth in the Kingdom.”
Ali Hosseini, Chief Technology Officer, PwC Middle East, said, “Our commitment to Saudi Vision 2030 and our future in technology is unwavering. We’re focused on building unparalleled AI engineering capabilities within Saudi Arabia.” He further explained, “By investing in local talent, PwC is set to pioneer a new era of technological excellence that will not only serve the Kingdom but also the wider region. In partnership with Microsoft, we are proud to launch a platform that nurtures and develops next-generation AI talent, carefully selected from the Kingdom’s premier universities.”
But this is not the first time Microsoft and PwC are collaborating on a project like this. In 2023, PwC US announced plans to invest US$1 Billion over the next three years to expand and scale its AI offerings, which includes an industry-leading relationship with Microsoft, creating scalable offerings using OpenAI’s GPT-4/ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service.
