The recently announced partnership between Saudi Arabian energy giant Aramco and AI-driven analytics company Cloudera reflects the determination of Middle Eastern countries to position themselves at the heart of the current technology revolution, building on know-how acquired during decades of hydrocarbons production.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU), the companies plan to combine Cloudera’s analytics platform and Aramco’s industry expertise to build AI-powered applications to spur the growth of digital technology in the Saudi oil and gas sector, as well as creating wider sustainable growth in the country.
California-based Cloudera provides a hybrid data-cloud platform for secure data management with real-time data analytics capabilities. The idea is for the firms to jointly develop and implement data-driven solutions that use Cloudera’s platform to enhance Aramco’s operational efficiency and competitiveness.
“By seeking to collaborate with Aramco, we intend to blend its industry expertise with our innovative data solutions to drive meaningful impact for Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation,” Ahmad Issa, Cloudera’s Regional Vice President of the Middle East, said.
The companies also intend to explore emerging trends and technologies in big data, AI, and data science together, according to Cloudera.
Creation of programmes to develop and upskill Saudi workers, particularly in the areas of data engineering, data science, and analytics, is expected to be another key aspect of the partnership. Issa said the goal of the collaboration was to empower local professionals with the tools and knowledge they need to thrive in a data-driven economy.
“By investing in human capital, we’re supporting individual careers while contributing to the broader ecosystem of innovation and growth in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Regional digital drive
Other countries in the region are even further down the track when it comes to AI adoption, such as the UAE, where Cloudera is an established presence in the fast-expanding tech sector, with its regional office located in Dubai.
In April, Cloudera published a lobal survey called The Future of Enterprise AI Agents, which underlined the preparedness of companies to adopt cutting edge AI.
Cloudera reported that 98% of enterprises in the United Arab Emirates believed it was important to invest in agents to maintain a competitive edge within their industry – a little higher than the 96% recorded globally.
Around a quarter of respondents in the UAE reported they had started implementing AI agents within the last two years, while 97% said their prior investments in generative AI had prepared them well to implement agentic AI. The areas where AI agents were most commonly deployed were IT (67%), followed by customer support (11%) and HR (6%).
The UAE’s energy sector has been a keen adopter of AI-driven technologies. In May, Abu Dhabi-based ADNOC said it AI tech would play a key role in its planned expansion of the country’s offshore Upper Zakum field in collaboration with ExxonMobil and Japan’s Inpex.
AI solutions developer AIQ is another Abu Dhabi-based firm to sign pacts with international players over recent months, including an MoU with Weatherford International to boost energy production efficiency, using advanced automation, data-driven insights and AI.
Meanwhile, Bahrain unveiled a new National Policy for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in July, which aims to provide safeguards for AI use, while maximising its benefits.
Under the policy, a framework to ensure the ethical and safe use of AI technologies will be established. This will be based on four main pillars: legal compliance, AI use and adoption, public education and awareness, and enhancing local and international cooperation to foster partnerships and knowledge exchange.
Bahrain has also developed its National Digital Economy Strategy 2030, which outlines 49 strategic initiatives intended to improve the functioning of government and position the country as a global digital hub. Both the strategy document and the AI policy are available on the Bahrain government website.
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