Saudi Arabia has ambitiously launched the “Beyond Plan”, aiming to spend $100 billion to build a world-class artificial intelligence ecosystem. This plan, led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, will vigorously develop data centers, support technology start-ups, strengthen workforce training, and work closely with the world's leading technology companies, with the goal of becoming one of the top 15 artificial intelligence centers in the world within ten years. , and eventually become an exporter of AI solutions. The move is closely related to Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030", which aims to diversify the economy and get rid of dependence on oil.
Saudi Arabia recently announced that it will launch a new initiative called "Beyond Plan" with an expected investment of up to US$100 billion, aiming to build a comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. Led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, funds from the program will be used for data center expansion, technology start-up development, workforce training and collaboration with leading technology companies.
The goal of this plan is to make Saudi Arabia one of the top 15 artificial intelligence centers in the world within the next ten years and gradually become an exporter of AI solutions. Saudi Arabia hopes to promote the growth of start-ups through the "Beyond Plan" and create an ecological environment conducive to AI innovation and experimentation.
During the implementation of the project, Saudi Arabia focused on workforce training, improving AI literacy, and establishing a supportive regulatory framework to attract and retain top talents. In addition, the Public Investment Fund also plans to cooperate with a number of technology leaders, and has reached a preliminary agreement with Google. Google earlier announced that it would build an advanced AI center in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to contribute up to $71 billion to the country's economy. Under the agreement, Google will invest up to $10 billion in Saudi Arabia for the development of AI-related projects, including the development of Arabic models to address the lack of AI accessibility in the region.
In addition, other large technology companies have invested in Saudi Arabia. Microsoft has invested US$2.1 billion in Saudi Arabia for the construction of a global super cloud computing platform; Oracle has also announced an investment of US$1.5 billion to launch a new cloud service area; Huawei has invested US$400 million in cloud infrastructure.
The “Beyond Plan” is closely related to Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030”, which aims to shift the country’s economy from oil dependence to technology and digital innovation, and artificial intelligence is one of the key pillars of this strategy. Previously, the Public Investment Fund also invested US$100 billion in a sustainable manufacturing plan called "Alat", aiming to build Saudi Arabia into a global center for electronic products and advanced industries.
Highlight:
Saudi Arabia launched the “Beyond Plan” to invest US$100 billion in building an AI ecosystem.
A cooperation agreement has been reached with Google, which is expected to invest up to US$10 billion.
The "Beyond Plan" aims to enhance Saudi Arabia's status in the global AI field and help diversify the economy.
The implementation of the "Beyond Plan" will have a profound impact on Saudi Arabia's economic transformation and global artificial intelligence development, and its results deserve continued attention. Saudi Arabia’s huge investment and strategic layout indicate that global artificial intelligence competition will become more intense.