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  • 7 generative AI trends that will shape the GCC in 2024

    Providers can expect big costs for large-language models (LLMs), both in terms of gathering access to training data (including human feedback regarding LLM performance) as well as the underlying costs of training the models themselves. To remain competitive, these providers will need to continue innovating at blistering speeds, while providing services at acceptable rates to LLM consumers. The economic pressures at play here will drive a lot of activity towards attempting to reduce costs by making it cheaper to run existing models as well as training newer and more advanced models.

  • Saudi Arabia Participates in UNESCO’s 42nd General Conference in Paris

    Minister of Culture and Chairman of the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan leads Saudi Arabia's delegation to the 42nd session of the General Conference of UNESCO, held in Paris between November 7 and 22. The delegation includes representatives of the ministries of culture and education, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, and other national authorities.

  • BNP Hires SocGen’s Jalal Al Marhoon for Saudi Arabia

    BNP Paribas SA has hired Jalal Al Marhoon as a managing director in Saudi Arabia, the latest sign that foreign investment banks continue to expand in one of the world’s most active markets for deals. The French banking giant’s Saudi entity recently appointed Al Marhoon as managing director and put him in charge of a portfolio of local clients, according to a spokeswoman for BNP. He’ll report to Ammar Pharaon, who heads BNP’s investment banking operations in the kingdom.

  • Saudi Arabia postpones Arab-African summit to convene emergency meetings on Gaza

    Saudi Arabia has postponed the fifth Arab-African summit that was scheduled for Friday and will, instead, host emergency Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Co-operation summits on Friday and Saturday to discuss Israel’s war on Gaza.

    The Saudi Foreign Ministry said it had reached the decision on Tuesday night after consulting with the Secretariat of the League of Arab States and the African Union Commission to “ensure that political events in the region do not affect the Arab-African partnership”.

    The Arab League summit will take place on Friday, involving most leaders of member states, while the OIC conference, to which Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been invited to, will be held on Saturday, a source in the ministry said.

  • Are coffee shops becoming a new social hub for Saudi Arabia’s younger generations?

    “Ten years ago, you didn’t see any specialty coffee shops or roasters in the country,” he tells me. “Today, there’s huge demand for high-end or unique coffees, with a lot of competition between Saudi roasters to bring quality coffee to market.” Premiumisation, as Mazen describes, is a process by which roasters sell more exclusive, rare, and superior quality coffee to drive brand appeal and increase prices. Ultimately, this adds a greater sense of value for the buyer, and makes them more willing to pay higher prices.

  • From Sand to Sea: Inspiring the Next Generation of Saudi Sailors

    A keen kiteboarder herself, Bagdady’s ambition is to one day see a Saudi sailor compete on the international stage, but she recognises that a long-term approach is required, commenting that “sailing in Saudi Arabia is still in its infancy. We need to get all the right pieces in place in order to develop the sport.” In that regard, the Saudi Sailing Federation is particularly interested in building youth participation. Bagdady explains, “We put a massive focus on youth because that’s where you foster talent. In terms of sailing ability, nothing beats time spent on the water, so starting with the kids is key. Our athletes for the 2032 Olympics will currently be in their teens, so that’s why we’re investing heavily in getting more kids onboard, both literally and figuratively.”

  • Saudi Aramco CEO Warns of New Threat of Generative AI

    Amin H. Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco, told the Global Cybersecurity Forum that the energy sector is an attractive target to those who want to do harm. "Any large-scale disruption to the steady supply of energy would have an immediate and significant impact around the world," he said. According to local media reports, Nasser said new technologies, such as generative AI, are game changers for many industries but must be assessed to identify how they may pose new threats, and any vulnerabilities must be addressed before being fully deployed.

  • Women at the forefront: Saudi’s pursuit of gender equality

    A key outcome of the economic diversification efforts outlined in Vision 2030 is to increase women’s participation in the Saudi labor market. In 2022, women’s participation in the labor force stood at 37 percent. Statistics from the General Statistical Authority showed an increase in the participation of Saudi women in the 15-24 age group from 48 percent in the second quarter to 50.1 percent in the third quarter of 2022.

  • Sudan rival generals to resume US and Saudi-led talks on ending war

    The Sudanese army and paramilitaries -- at war with each other for six months -- said Wednesday they had accepted an invitation to resume US- and Saudi-brokered negotiations. Since April, the war between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces, has killed more than 9,000 people and displaced over 5.6 million. Previous mediation attempts have only yielded brief truces, and even those were systematically violated.  

  • COP28 and the growing Europe-MENA hydrogen connection

    Since COP27 last year in Egypt, countries within the MENA region have adopted national strategies and pursued new projects in hydrogen development aimed at transitioning their economies to clean energy exports. Yet, with a few exceptions, several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed since the conference have not turned into actual investment decisions so far, notably in the case of COP27 host Egypt. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) and most of its member states are slowly but surely building their hydrogen supply chains, with plans that in most cases involve interdependence with the MENA region.