SAMAI trains 330,000 Saudis; and more Middle East AI News

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SMAI public education programme has reached a milestone, training 330k Saudi citizens out of its 1 million target, according to the SDAIA CEO. Meanwhile, Huawei has launched an AI training programme in Egypt to train 25,000 students. We also saw eVTOL test flights from Archer and Joby Aviation in the UAE this week, in preparation for the launch of air taxi services next year.

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Middle East AI News – 03-Jul-25

Education

SDAIA’s SAMAI trains 330,000 Saudis in AI skills

#Saudi #education – The Saudi Data and AI Authority’s SAMAI initiative has trained 334,000 Saudis in AI skills, a third of the way to its one million target. Launched at the Global AI Summit last year, the national programme aims to build AI literacy across all age groups to support Saudi Arabia’s digital economy. (Middle East AI News)

Huawei to train 25,000 Egyptian students in AI

#Egypt #education – Huawei will deliver free AI training to over 25,000 students across Al-Azhar University, Egyptian-Russian University, and 6th of October University. The programme supports Egypt’s Vision 2030 digital transformation and aims to boost youth employment opportunities. (Middle East AI News)

Zayed University to embed AI across all disciplines

#UAE #education – Zayed University has joined the global Digital Education Council, becoming the first Emirati university member. New degree programmes in intelligent systems, cybersecurity, and digital transformation will support AI integration and prepare students for the UAE’s digital economy. (Middle East AI News)

Khalifa University wins UAE student robotics award

#UAE #robotics – A student team from Khalifa University has won top honours in the Computing and Robotics category at the 19th IEEE UAE Student Day. Their AI-powered drone system enables real-time warehouse inventory tracking using computer vision and onboard sensors. (Khalifa University)

Mleiha Club launches robotics and AI summer diploma

#UAE #education – Mleiha Cultural and Sports Club in Sharjah has launched a mini diploma in robotics and AI as part of its summer activities. Running from June 30 to July 31, the programme offers workshops in robotics, AI, and technical English to equip youth with future-ready skills. (Sharjah 24)

Aviation

Archer completes first UAE test flight of its Midnight eVTOL aircraft

#UAE #airtaxis – Archer Aviation has completed the first UAE test flight of its Midnight eVTOL aircraft in Abu Dhabi. The flight, held at Al Bateen Executive Airport, evaluates performance in extreme heat and humidity ahead of plans to launch air taxi services in 2026. (Middle East AI News)

Joby Aviation conducts air taxi test flight in Dubai

#UAE #airtaxis – Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Joby Aviation have completed the Middle East’s first successful test flight of the Joby Aerial Taxi. The electric aircraft can carry four passengers, fly up to 160 km, and cut airport-to-Palm Jumeirah travel to 12 minutes. (Dubai Media Office)

Emirates adopts AI to reduce flight disruptions

#UAE #optimisation – Emirates Airline is using AI-powered engine monitoring to cut flight diversions and boost safety. The system analyses real-time data to predict engine health, operational performance, and turbulence risks, enhancing reliability across its global fleet. (Khaleej Times)

TIME 100

G42 becomes first Middle East tech firm in TIME 100

#UAE #TIME100 – Abu Dhabi’s G42 Group has been named among TIME’s 100 most influential companies for 2025. The AI leader is the region’s first tech company to feature in the list, and coincides with its seventh anniversary. (TIME)

Smart Cities

New Murabba signs smart city deal with NAVER Cloud

#Saudi #smartcities – Public Investment Fund (PIF)-owned New Murabba has partnered with South Korea’s NAVER Cloud for its 14 sq km Riyadh development. The three-year deal covers robotics, autonomous vehicles, and smart city platforms, supporting infrastructure for FIFA 2034 and Expo 2030. (Middle East AI News)

TAMM AI shortlisted for global governance award

#UAE #GenAI – Abu Dhabi’s Department of Government Enablement has announced its TAMM AI Assistant is a top five finalist for the 2025 WSIS Prizes. The AI system supports over 950 services, with more than 400,000 users, enhancing Abu Dhabi’s AI governance leadership. (Abu Dhabi Media Office)

Robotics

MBZUAI unveils breakthrough robot learning system

#UAE #AItraining – Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBUAI) has launched a Tactile Skills AI framework to boost robot learning. The system reduces training time and energy consumption while enabling near-perfect task success, advancing automation for manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare. (Middle East AI News)

Financial Services

UAE launches AI Robo-Advisor investment regulations

#UAE #roboadvisory – The UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) has introduced new rules for AI-powered robo-advisors. Licensed firms can now offer automated investment services under strict cybersecurity, algorithm audit, and investor protection requirements, advancing the UAE’s digital economy goals. (WAM)

DFSA publishes report on AI, cyber and quantum risks

#UAE #digitalrisks – Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has released a report on emerging digital risks, following its first Cyber and AI Risk Regulatory College. The report highlights cybersecurity threats, AI oversight challenges, and the need for post-quantum cryptography planning. Download report (Zawya)

Data Centres

Meeza signs $96.15mln data centre deal with hyper-scaler

#Qatar #compute – Qatar’s Meeza has secured a QR350 million ($96.15m) agreement with a global hyper-scaler to utilise its new 4MW data centre expansion. The 10-year deal supports AI, cloud, and cybersecurity services, aligning with Qatar’s Digital Agenda 2030 and National Vision 2030. (Gulf Times)

Ooredoo deploys NVIDIA accelerated computing in Qatar

#Qatar #sovereigncloud – Ooredoo has launched sovereign AI cloud services powered by NVIDIA H200 Hopper GPUs, marking a major boost to Qatar’s AI and digital transformation plans. The services offer local, high-performance computing for sectors including energy, finance, healthcare, and smart cities. (Zawya)

Current AI

Morocco joins Current AI to lead Africa’s AI push

#Morocco #Africa – Morocco has signed an agreement to join global initiative Current AI, becoming a founding member focused on ethical, inclusive AI. Backed by government funding, the partnership aims to make Morocco a digital leader in Africa and advance AI systems rooted in local values.(Morocco World News)

AI Diplomacy

UAE and South Korea deepen AI and tech partnership

#UAE #bilaterals– The UAE and South Korea have agreed to expand cooperation in AI, nuclear energy, defence, and advanced industries. The deal follows the first official phone call between Presidents Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Lee Jae Myung, strengthening bilateral ties. (Yonhap)

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[ This newsletter was AI edited & human edited ]