Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
HUMAIN and Adobe will co-develop culturally aware generative AI models built on Arabic-first data, integrating them into Adobe’s global creative tools and HUMAIN’s sovereign AI ecosystem. Powered by Qualcomm hardware, the partnership will deliver multimodal AI that reflects Middle Eastern identity across advertising, entertainment, education and digital content creation.
ZIGURAT’s first Riyadh Local Hub gathered nearly 100 industry professionals to discuss how digital transformation, BIM, AI and Digital Twins are reshaping construction in Saudi Arabia. The event highlighted the alignment between education and industry needs, showcased practical AI applications already in use, and stressed the continued importance of human judgement and ethics alongside automation. The initiative supports Saudi Vision 2030 and reinforces ZIGURAT’s expanding role in developing AECO digital skills across the region.
Morocco’s digital transformation is accelerating, but a new national survey shows that artificial intelligence remains largely misunderstood among the public. According to the 2024–2025 ICT survey by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT), 61.4% of Moroccans say they do not know what AI is, even as usage surges among digitally active citizens.
South Korea has joined the UAE’s Stargate AI data centre project, agreeing to support computing, energy infrastructure, and AI R&D. With Samsung and SK Hynix supplying chips, the partnership strengthens bilateral AI collaboration and advances the UAE’s goal of hosting the world’s largest AI data centre campus outside the U.S.
MTN and Microsoft are partnering to bring AI-enabled digital tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot to millions of users across Africa, advancing digital inclusion, skills development, and secure productivity.
Naver is strengthening its role in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 smart city transformation with advanced digital twin platforms and urban innovation technologies.
Vida secures $4M to accelerate AI voice innovation, expand into new industries, and boost leadership expertise as demand surges for automated communication solutions with faster performance and scalable customer engagement.
Cassava Technologies is deploying 12,000 Nvidia GPUs to power Africa’s first large-scale AI factory, enabling sovereign GPUaaS infrastructure and accelerating local innovation, digital industrialization, and competitive AI development across multiple countries.
The US and UAE have partnered to build Omen, an advanced AI-powered combat drone that can take off vertically and fly like an aircraft. Developed by Anduril and EDGE Group in Abu Dhabi, the drone will incorporate the Lattice AI system for autonomous decision-making. With production expected by 2028, the project strengthens US-UAE defense ties and marks a major leap toward AI-driven military systems.
Saudi Arabia is redesigning engineering education to become an AI-producing nation rather than an AI-consuming one. King Saud University is embedding AI across its curriculum, opening advanced labs, launching an AI for Engineering Center, and partnering with global universities. This transformation supports Vision 2030 and aims to develop engineers capable of building sovereign AI systems, next-generation networks, and advanced technologies that power national competitiveness.