Humaine hires Goldman Sachs as adviser for 20 billion‑riyal data‑centre financing
- Saudi AI firm Humaine, backed by the Public Investment Fund, has appointed Goldman Sachs to advise on a financing package for building data centres estimated at c.20 billion SAR (~$5.3bn).
- Deal signals Riyadh's push to verticalize cloud and AI infrastructure domestically and attract international capital for hyperscale capacity.
- Multiple local outlets report the advisory mandate; the financing is aimed at accelerating hosting, sovereign data and AI compute capacity in‑Kingdom.
اقتصاد الشرق مع بلومبرغ · 2026-05-20T04:00:00Z
King Faisal Centre and SDAIA sign MoU to deepen cooperation on studies, data and AI
- The MoU formalises collaboration between a major national research centre and SDAIA on joint studies, data sharing and AI-driven analysis.
- Expected outcomes include research projects, policy tools and capacity building to support evidence‑based public policy and historical scholarship.
- Signalling growing institutional ecosystem linking government data authorities with academic and research bodies.
صحيفة النهار السعودية · 2026-05-20T12:00:00Z
Shura Council pushes for accelerated AI market regulation and measures against illicit uses
- The Shura Council formally urged the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) and relevant ministries to speed up AI market regulation and combat illicit uses such as deepfakes and fraud.
- Calls include faster licensing, oversight mechanisms and measures to protect public institutions and critical infrastructure from malicious AI applications.
- Parliamentary pressure reflects growing political focus on governance frameworks as AI adoption accelerates across sectors.
Traders Union · 2026-05-20T03:00:00Z
NCA issues high‑risk security advisory for NVIDIA products — users urged to patch
- Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) published advisory #2026-7495 urging immediate updates for NVIDIA products to address multiple vulnerabilities.
- Advisory is distributed via Saudi CERT pages and echoed by local press; critical for organisations running GPU workloads for AI and cloud.
- Authorities warn that unpatched systems could be targeted to disrupt services or exfiltrate sensitive data tied to AI infrastructure.
الهيئة الوطنية للأمن السيبراني | NCA · 2026-05-20T00:30:00Z
Union Quw (Ittihad Quw) receives licence to offer managed SOC (Level 2) services
- Itihad Quw for Telecommunications secured a license from the National Cybersecurity Authority permitting it to provide Level‑2 managed Security Operations Centre services.
- The licence expands domestic capacity for outsourced cyber monitoring and incident response, supporting enterprise and government demand.
- Regulatory approvals reflect Saudi efforts to nurture local cyber service providers as part of national security and digital sovereignty goals.
صحيفة مال · 2026-05-20T05:00:00Z
Ministry: 'Qudwah.Tech' trained more than 43,000 women to empower participation in the digital economy
- The Ministry of Communications & IT highlighted that the 'Qudwah.Tech' initiative has trained 43,000+ women over seven years to boost female participation in the digital economy.
- Announcement came during the 'Future of Empowering Women in the Digital Transformation Era' event attended by senior ministry officials.
- Programme forms part of broader national digital inclusion and talent development efforts under Vision 2030.
Fintechgate · 2026-05-20T06:00:00Z
SDAIA expands use of AI to serve Hajj pilgrims
- The Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) increased AI deployments during the Hajj season to improve operations, crowd management and health surveillance.
- Initiatives include predictive analytics, AI agents for pilgrim services and data integration across agencies to raise efficiency and safety.
- Officials frame the program as part of a wider national push to operationalise AI in large‑scale public services.
Asharq Al-Awsat English · 2026-05-20T01:00:00Z
Qiddiya expands digital entertainment build with wider Google Cloud partnership
- Qiddiya Investment Company announced an expanded collaboration with Google Cloud to develop a digital and data platform for one of the Kingdom’s largest entertainment projects.
- Partnership will focus on building a digital twin, media pipelines, venue operating systems and guest experience platforms powered by cloud AI.
- Deal underscores how mega‑leisure projects are anchoring cloud partnerships and driving localized digital investments.
مجلة سيدتي · 2026-05-20T11:00:00Z
Aramco unveils quantum computer to support energy projects
- Saudi Aramco announced the country's first quantum computer located in a Dhahran data centre, developed in partnership with a French firm.
- Company says quantum capability could accelerate research into lower‑carbon fuels and optimization of complex energy systems.
- The move is part of broader national tech investments pairing energy majors with advanced compute to unlock industrial applications.
Arabian Gulf Business Insight | AGBI · 2026-05-20T09:00:00Z