Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Saudi Arabia’s investment minister told Davos the AI race is accelerating and no single nation will dominate. Emphasizing global diffusion and strategic optionality, he outlined the Kingdom’s energy-backed AI ambitions, cross-border data strategy, and early leadership on digital embassies to safeguard sovereignty in a multipolar AI future.
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its push for sovereign AI by localising data centres, servers and manufacturing. Lenovo’s Lawrence Yu says building and operating AI infrastructure in the Kingdom ensures data control, security and scale, backed by a $2 billion Alat investment, a Riyadh HQ and a factory opening in 2026.
AI, real-time payments and embedded finance are reshaping how money moves in Oman. Comviva CEO Rajesh Chandiramani says gamification, cybersecurity and mobile-first platforms are redefining financial services, with the launch of Global Pay Oman marking a key milestone in the country’s digital payments journey.
e& and IBM have unveiled an enterprise-grade agentic AI platform embedded into governance and compliance workflows. Built on watsonx Orchestrate and OpenPages, the solution enables reasoning, action, and traceability under enterprise controls, positioning e& among the region’s earliest adopters of trusted, governed agentic AI.
Saudi Arabia is launching SUSTAIN, an AI-powered national platform to connect government, business, investors, academia, and civil society. Developed with the World Economic Forum and Bain & Company, it aims to streamline partnerships, reduce fragmentation, and accelerate sustainable development, economic diversification, and long-term growth initiatives across the kingdom.
ITC Infotech has opened a Digital & AI Engineering Hub in Riyadh to mark 15 years in the Middle East. The facility will focus on digital engineering, AI, cloud, and automation, supporting Saudi Vision 2030 while building local talent and delivering advanced technology solutions from within the Kingdom.
Bell Integration has expanded its UAE AI Training portfolio with custom Agentic AI programmes, enabling enterprises to build and deploy autonomous AI systems. Integrated into its AI Journey Success Programme, the initiative supports sectors including government, finance, healthcare, and logistics, strengthening internal capability across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Punjab’s Acting Governor has called for AI and digital education to begin at primary level by 2030, citing past skill gaps and inequality in public schools. The Punjab government plans to train 500,000 students, deliver one million digital courses, and establish 4,000 AI labs in high schools.
Egypt is using AI and satellite imagery to track and remove water hyacinth from the Nile, modernising irrigation management. Integrated with platforms like Google Earth Engine, the system enables real-time monitoring, faster decisions, and targeted removal, addressing a century-old ecological threat that disrupts canals, farmers, and national water security.
AI-generated protest videos are flooding social media as Iran’s internet blackout limits real footage. NewsGuard identified seven deepfakes with 3.5 million views, shared by both sides to shape narratives. Experts warn “hallucinated” visuals now dominate breaking news, distorting reality and exploiting information vacuums.