GENEVA — Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Acting Governor of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) Haytham AlOhali highlighted, while attending the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, Saudi Arabia's great strides in digital leadership. Speaking before senior officials and experts representing 194 countries, he reaffirmed the Kingdom's dedication in supporting the summit's goals and enhancing the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in fostering inclusive and sustainable digital communities. AlOhali showcased Saudi Arabia's progress in advancing the ITU's strategic objectives, referencing key global indicators that reflect the Kingdom's success in the digital domain. He emphasized that Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in the ICT Development Index issued by ITU, reflecting the ongoing development in the ICT sector. He noted that Saudi Arabia is now among the global leaders in providing digital government services and has achieved sixth place globally in the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) in 2024. The deputy minister showcased the Kingdom's robust ICT infrastructure, as the digital economy reached $132 billion in 2024, representing 15 percent of the GDP and half of the region's digital economy. During the AI World Summit, AlOhali also participated in the "Crafting a well-balanced, pro-innovation regulatory framework" session, during which he emphasized that the foundation of a sustainable AI ecosystem lies in investing in human capital, infrastructure, and clear standards. "Today, we possess the largest technical workforce in the region, comprising over 381,000 specialists, with an annual growth rate of 8.8 percent compared to 350,000 in 2023. We began our journey in 2018 with an investment exceeding $25 billion in digital infrastructure in partnership with the private sector, which enabled the Kingdom to top the 2025 ICT Development Index," he said. AlOhali noted that Saudi Arabia is scaling up its investments through strategic alliances with major global AI companies, including AMD, AWS, and Qualcomm, in addition to a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to establish a 500MW data center. "The launch of "Humain" marks the creation of a regional and global AI powerhouse, backed by robust infrastructure and cloud computing. These initiatives reflect the Kingdom's strong commitment to fostering a thriving AI ecosystem and reinforcing its position as a global hub for sustainable innovation," he added.
