The Middle East has embraced Artificial Intelligence (AI) with an enthusiasm hitherto unseen in any other digital infrastructure market across the world. In light of this, the need for skilled manpower has also grown exponentially, creating a skills gap across the region. To alleviate this shortfall, DataVolt, a major AI data center player based out of Saudi Arabia, has come up with a new diploma aimed at technology and engineering university students to empower them to confidently step into the world of AI, and hit the ground running when they enter the workforce.
To better understand the current imbalance between the demand and supply of skilled professionals for handling AI-ready digital infrastructure, and learn more about this new course, w.media caught up with Anurita Joshi, Vice President, People & Culture, DataVolt, for this exclusive interview.
How do you see the AI landscape evolving across Saudi Arabia?
AI is fundamentally changing the way we live and work worldwide. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is well placed to benefit from the growing demand for AI applications, with the Kingdom’s strategic geographical location, strong subsea cable connectivity, and low-cost power generation, making it well positioned to become an AI hub for the MENA region and beyond.
This is further supported by the Government’s Vision 2030, and National Strategy for Data & AI (NSDAI), with favorable policies geared towards training 20,000 AI specialists within the next 5 years. That’s why DataVolt is not only investing in building AI infrastructure in the Kingdom, but in developing the talent that will shape the country’s future AI economy.
Compared to other markets like APAC, Europe or the US, how is the Middle East evolving vis-a-vis AI adoption?
The Middle East, particularly the GCC countries, are adopting AI at speed. A recent report from McKinsey showed that 62 percent of firms in the region are using AI in at least one business function, putting the GCC slightly in the lead of the US and Europe, with companies in the retail sector the fastest AI adopters. In particular, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the highest levels of sovereign AI adoption – at 17 percent, against a global average of 13 percent – and are reported to witness a greater return on their investments as a result.
However the scaling of AI remains a challenge, partly due to supply gaps in the infrastructure needed to support the growth of these power hungry applications. That’s where DataVolt comes in; our mission is to help plug these gaps by both building data centers capable of supporting these workloads, as well as training the future workforce to address any talent shortages.
What kind of skilled manpower is required for Saudi Arabia to stay on top of the AI game?
AI technologies continue to evolve at pace, as do the skills required to meet these ever changing needs. At DataVolt we see three core talent layers that must advance in tandem in order for Saudi Arabia to achieve its ambitions to be a global AI leader; all of which are addressed as part of our new Diploma.
At the heart of AI there is core machine learning (ML) and data management skills. This is the very fundamental knowledge needed to train data engineers and AI model trainers. On the application and product side, there is also a growing need for broader skills including prompt/retrieval engineers, AI ethics, compliance and data security experts.
Finally from an infrastructure perspective, there is the need for new specialist skills to manage ultra high-power density AI deployments. From power and cooling, to network storage and GPU operations, there are a multitude of engineers required to operate an AI factory data center.
What are some of the major AI skills where there is a marked disparity between demand and supply for skilled personnel?
There is a recognized global talent shortage in the data center industry with a recent report from the Uptime Institute finding that 58 percent of global operators faced difficulties sourcing talent for open roles. That’s why Data Volt is already sponsoring 90 Saudi nationals to complete either a HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), or Electrical Engineering program in order to develop the future talent pipeline for the facilities we are building across the Kingdom.
Moreover, the rapid development of AI is creating a need for specialist workers, not only for data center operators, but for the overall digital ecosystem. From our perspective, we see a talent shortage across four key areas:
- data engineering at scale to meet unprecedented demand
- ‘productization’ or turning AI prototypes into sustainable services
- AI governance and ethics to ensure models can grow responsibly; as well as
- AI infrastructure and operations – there are still very few people that possess the skills to manage complex GPU systems, and these technologies are continually evolving.
Bridging these gaps requires integrated academic studies – which is exactly what our new AI Diploma offers. We will continue to collaborate with the Government and our partners to address these skills gaps, and future-proof the workforce for the AI era.
Could you tell us a bit about your Data Science and AI Diploma? What does the course offer, and who is it for?
Our new Data Science and AI Diploma is designed to train the future talent workforce for the AI era. We designed this program in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Energy & Water Academy and Innovatics, a leading AI educator, to be the Kingdom’s first industry-integrated program. This means it blends core modules in data science alongside real-world projects to produce graduates that can help businesses tackle AI challenges from the outset.
We are delighted that the program is also endorsed by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and supported with partial funding from the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF). The Diploma is targeted at unemployed Saudi nationals with a strong emphasis on female participation to address the gender gap.
Crucially the students are guaranteed placements upon graduation, with 5 of the first cohort going on to work in DataVolt’s 1.5GW AI factory project currently under development in Neom, Oxagon. We look forward to following their progress in the coming months.
What kind of industry integration has helped put this program together and what did it take to make this collaboration possible?
We worked to build this Diploma in close collaboration with the Government, academia and industry to ensure it delivered ‘ready-to-hire’ talent that aligns with business demand and supports the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Critically, each student will be part funded by industry players like ourselves, and we will work with the students to provide them with real AI-related business challenges as part of their capstone project. Throughout the Diploma, industry leaders will support the sponsored students to explore different AI use cases, giving them valuable skills they can use from day one of graduation.
Your Diploma is aimed at students. But do you have a plan for mid-career professionals who want to reskill or upskill in order to remain relevant in the workforce?
We encourage students of all ages interested in pursuing a career in AI; indeed all of us need to adapt our working processes in response to AI technologies to a greater or lesser degree.
While this new Diploma is currently targeted at young Saudi nationals, we are exploring ways to enhance the certification through a modular professional track. This would consist of short courses that can be completed individually and gradually feed into the Diploma, thereby enabling mid-career engineers to transition toward AI-augmented roles while still working.
What are your future plans vis-a-vis this Diploma? Will you broaden its scope? Are you planning to eventually offer it in all geographies where you are operating?
We are committed to investing in the future talent pipeline to fuel the digital economy, and are actively looking at ways we can build on this new Diploma, both in terms of new geographies and further in-depth specializations.
For example, as part of our focus on local talent development, we are already training another 30 students in Uzbekistan to help operate DataVolt’s new 12MW data center that is currently under construction in Tashkent. Ultimately our vision is to develop a sustainable AI talent ecosystem and we will continue to consider further expansion of our talent programs in line with our growing footprint, with a specific focus on increasing female participation in the workforce.