Via Melvin Backman in qz.com: Oil futures were trading below $70 a barrel on Wednesday, the lowest levels they’ve seen since 2022. One of the factors hitting prices is the wrong kind of OPEC cut: The cartel said in its monthly oil report Tuesday that it is now forecasting global oil demand to increase by just 2 million barrels per day this year, down from the 2.1 million barrels it mentioned last month.

in argaam.com: The Saudi Exchange Co. (Tadawul) is working on introducing a package of developments in the derivatives and options contracts market, which was launched in December 2023 to boost liquidity and diversify contracts, CEO Mohammed Al-Rumaih said.

Via Natasha Turak in cnbc.com: “I think within the next year,” Habib, Deputy CEO of SDAIA’s strategy management office, told CNBC’s Dan Murphy after being asked about a potential timeline. It’s a significant expectation given that the United States’ strict export controls have thus far prevented the chips’ export to the kingdom. Habib made the comments on the sidelines of GAIN, Saudi Arabia’s international AI summit, which took place in Riyadh this week.

Via Sumit Malhotra and Divya: In April this year, Saudi Arabia revised its target for The Line – a unique linear city inside NEOM which has received global attention for its avant-garde architecture and a revolutionary concept of carbon-neutral urban living. The kingdom announced a massive scaling-down in the size of the metropolis from 105 to 1.5 miles along with a decrease in likely inhabitants to 300,000 from original target of 1.5 million.

in alarabiya.net: Saudi Arabia’s Billboard Arabia is set to stage the first-ever Billboard Arabia Music Awards (BBAMAs) in Riyadh to celebrate the Arab musical talent from across the region. The awards is set to take place on December 11, 2024, at King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh, and will form part of the first-ever Riyadh Music Week, an initiative bringing together the global music community for a series of music festivals and events.

Via Reed Albergotti, Morgan Chalfant, and Kelsey Warner in semafor.com: The US government is considering allowing Nvidia to export advanced chips to Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter said, which would help the country train and run the most powerful AI models. The fate of those sales was a major, unofficial topic at Saudi Arabia’s global AI summit, known as GAIN, on Thursday. Representatives from AI hardware firm Groq, Google, and Qualcomm, along with Saudi government officials, mingled and spoke at the event.

in dailysabah.com: Abu Dhabis Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant will produce 40 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually after its fourth and final reactor entered commercial operation, the state-owned Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said in a statement. It will generate 25% of the electricity needs of the hot, desert Gulf state, where air-conditioning is ubiquitous – nearly the equivalent of New Zealands annual consumption, ENEC said.

in middleeastmonitor.com: At a reception held at Damascus’s Four Seasons Hotel on Monday, Saudi Chargé d’Affaires, Abdullah Al-Harith, stated that the reopening of the Kingdom’s diplomatic mission in Syria “represents an important moment in the history of relations between our two brotherly countries”. He also emphasised Riyadh’s commitment to developing bilateral relations with Damascus.

Via Elias Al Helou in economymiddleeast.com: Microsoft, along with its partners and cloud-utilizing customers, is projected to generate approximately $24 billion in additional revenue above the 2022 figures over the next four years, according to a recent study from IDC. The same research indicates that by 2026, Microsoft’s partner ecosystem will earn roughly $8 for every $1 of revenue generated by Microsoft’s cloud services. This presents significant opportunities for partners in the Kingdom to enhance their revenues, increase local content contributions, and expand their customer bases.

Via Christine Burke and Fahad Abuljadayel: Saudi Arabia has launched $1.3 trillion in real estate and infrastructure projects over the past eight years as part of its plan to diversify the economy away from oil and become a more attractive place to live, work and travel. About $164 billion worth of real estate contracts have been awarded since 2016, when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled his strategy to wean the country off its dependence on petrodollars and improve the quality of life for locals.

in fitchratings.com: Saudi Arabia’s debt issuance will likely slow in the second half of 2024, Fitch Ratings says. Large dividend payments by Saudi Arabian Oil Company are used to temper sovereign financing needs. Substantial volumes in 1H24 made Saudi Arabia the largest US dollar debt issuer in emerging-markets (excluding China), and the largest sukuk issuer globally.

Via Lucy Papachristou and Maxim Rodionov in reuters.com: It was emphasised that the decisions taken recently indicate the growing stability and independence of this unique coordination mechanism of oil-exporting countries, its efficiency and relevance for maintaining the balance of supply and demand in the global energy market.

Via Ahmed Ghandour in leaders-mena.com: Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih emphasized Italy’s crucial role in facilitating the export of these energy products to Europe. Speaking at a business conference in Milan, Al-Falih described Italy as a “partner of choice” for delivering green products to the European continent. This collaboration aligns with the European Union’s goal of producing and importing 20 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030.

Via Chantal Fouad in gulfnews.com: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is set to increase its annual spending to $70 billion (Dh257 billion) by 2025, a year ahead of its earlier schedule, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). PIF’s governor Yasir Al Rumayyan announced at a Saudi investment summit that the fund planned to boost its annual capital expenditures from approximately $50 billion (Dh183 billion) to $70 billion (Dh257 billion) starting in 2026.

Via Dean Takahashi in venturebeat.com: Milanov is now head of gaming at Qiddiya, a dreamy “Giga Project” under way near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis want 17 million visitors a year to go to Qiddiya by 2030, making it the “largest tourism destination worldwide.” Not so different from Team Liquid’s heaquarters, the aim of Qiddiya is to build a whole city where gamers, esports athletes and their fans can feel at home, and Milanov is moving into high gear soon to sell people on the idea of Qiddiya. Will giant sandworms get him, or will it all pay off?