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  • Charted: Investment Needed to Meet Battery Demand by 2040

    Battery demand is projected to increase ninefold by 2040. As a result, the battery industry’s total capex is expected to nearly triple, rising from $567 billion in 2030 to $1.6 trillion in 2040. Upstream, companies will focus mainly on lithium, nickel, copper, and recycling at the extraction stage.

  • Saudi Arabia’s PIF partners with CONCACAF to boost football development

    The Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has announced a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to elevate football development across the region. The multi-year collaboration will focus on bolstering grassroots football, expanding youth championships, and nurturing young talent. By investing in programs like the CONCACAF under-15, under-17, and under-20 championships for both men and women, the partnership aims to create more opportunities for aspiring footballers.

  • Qiddiya’s Performing Arts Centre: Where innovation meets culture in Saudi Arabia

    The Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) is set to redefine the cultural and entertainment landscape of Saudi Arabia with the launch of the Qiddiya Performing Arts Centre. As the first cultural asset of the newly announced Qiddiya City, this state-of-the-art venue is designed to become a symbol of creativity and a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s cultural evolution. In an exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette, Majed Aldusaimani, Director of Public Relations and Media Liaison at QIC, shared insights into the vision, technological advancements, and future aspirations for the Performing Arts Centre.

  • Saudi Arabia’s NWC starts implementing water and wastewater infrastructure projects worth $586 m

    Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company (NWC), through its Eastern Cluster, has initiated the implementation of 17 major projects across the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a total investment exceeding 2.2 billion Saudi Riyals ($586 million). In a press release, the company explains that the projects aim to enhance the region's environmental and water services infrastructure, focusing on wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations, power lines, and network replacements to improve service delivery in various cities and governorates.

  • Adidas launches its partnership with Al-Nasr Saudi Club with an advertisement inspired by the game (Roblox)

    Adidas launched today the new kits of the Saudi Al-Nasr Club, according to the partnership signed between the two parties last February, which will last for three years, to become the global company’s sportswear brand, the official partner of the club starting from the 2024/2025 season, as “Adidas” will provide all teams and employees under the umbrella of Al-Nasr with the official uniform.

  • As international dollars flow towards AI-powered startups, how has MENA been riding the wave?

    Saudi Arabia-based Intelmatix, a deep tech B2B startup focused on empowering MENA businesses with AI for decision-making, has recently secured a $20M Series A funding round—one of the largest for a regional company of this type. This past week also saw Saudi-based SaaS provider Velents AI join the AI funding frenzy, raising an undisclosed sum from Women Collective to fuel its growth. And just last week, Aramco’s venture arm, Wa’ed Ventures, splashed $15M on South Korean chipmaker Rebellions Inc., marking its debut investment in South Korea following a $6.5M investment in California-based aiXplain. That was Wa’ed Ventures’ second AI deal in one week!

  • Saudi Arabia Building New City of ‘Smart Homes’ for 120,000 People

    Potential buyers can choose from six types of villas ranging from 216 to 413 sq meters. There are also plans to build four apartment blocks with one- to three-bedroom units. According to specialized news outlet Construction Briefing, the foundation for the project was laid in May. Saudi news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat reported that on July 9 the Talaat Moustafa Group told the Egyptian stock exchange that Banan City had achieved unprecedented sales and surpassed its year one target in just two months.

  • Saudi Arabia Shifts from Participation to Hosting: Sustained Global Scientific Engagement Since 2011

    This year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia transitions from the ranks of participants to hosts and organizers of international scientific competitions. Riyadh, the capital city, is set to host the 2024 International Chemistry Olympiad from July 21st for ten days. The Olympiad will involve more than 340 students, 200 volunteers, and 400 university professors and chemistry teachers from 90 countries. This makes it an opportunity for scientific exchange, partnerships, and a chance to discover Saudi Arabia through its capital, Riyadh, and witness its scientific, economic, and cultural renaissance, which has qualified it to become a leading destination in various fields.

  • Ahmed Mater: The Saudi artist documenting a kingdom in flux

    Born in Tabuk in 1979, Mater grew up in Abha in southwestern Saudi Arabia, close to the militarized Yemeni border, at a time of immense social change in the region. The first presentation of his art outside the Kingdom came in 2005 at an exhibition hosted by the British Museum in London. Just over a decade later, he became the first artist to host a solo exhibition in the US, with “Symbolic Cities: The Work of Ahmed Mater” in 2016.

  • Critical Metals, Obeikan partner to build lithium hydroxide processing plant in Saudi Arabia

    The 50/50 JV will be geared towards developing, constructing and operating the plant for the conversion of lithium spodumene concentrate from Critical Metals’ Wolfsberg project in Austria, which, according to Critical Metals CEO Tony Sage, is set to become the EU’s only battery-grade lithium mine by 2027.