Saudi AI summit explores development challenges, potential

RIYADH, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) — The Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit concluded its third edition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, focusing on challenges in AI development and the technology’s potential benefits for humanity.
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) hosted the three-day event, which covered topics including AI governance, Arabic language models, and AI’s impact on research and education.
“Together, we’ve not only imagined the future of AI but made it real by addressing the challenges and identifying the enablers needed to truly unlock its potential,” said Esam AlWagait, director of SDAIA’s National Information Center, at the summit’s closing ceremony.
Among the summit’s highlights, SDAIA announced that its large Arabic language model, ALLaM, is now available on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. The 7-billion-parameter model, developed by SDAIA’s National Center for Artificial Intelligence, aims to boost AI services and innovation in Saudi Arabia and beyond.
Industry experts at the summit predicted that ALLaM would drive innovation in Arabic language processing over the next 12-24 months.
Also at the summit, SDAIA and U.S. AI behemoth Nvidia announced a plan to establish a 5,000-GPU platform, the largest high-performance data center infrastructure in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The event saw 76 announcements and agreements, including the Saudi-based Digital Cooperation Organization’s (DCO) launch of a Generative AI Center of Excellence initiative.
DCO Secretary-General Deemah Al-Yahya said the initiative would help member states transition from consumers to producers of generative AI technology.
The summit also featured the inaugural International AI Olympiad, with students from 25 countries competing in data analysis and problem-solving challenges. ■