Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to boost economic growth in the United Arab Emirates by 1.6 percentage points and add US$182 billion to the national economy by 2035, according to a recent report by Accenture (NYSE: ACN).

Bee’ah, the Middle East’s award-winning sustainability pioneer, is expanding into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in support of Saudi Vision 2030, after being awarded three contracts forwaste management services in Madinah, covering the North, West and East regions.

The latest GCC E-Performance Index 2022 reveals that all countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region have performed exceptionally well, displaying significant progress in digital transformation.

As per the GCC E-Performance Index, the UAE achieved tangible growth with an average score of 66.22, followed by Saudi Arabia with an average rating of 59.26 and Qatar with 57.63. Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait scored average ratings of 54.02, 53.43 and 51.36, respectively. The report highlights the increased spending on the latest technological solutions to achieve digitally-inclusive economies.

In terms of ICT spending, by 2024, UAE is estimated to expense US$23 billion, Kuwait will shell out US$10 billion, while Qatar’s spending will be around US$9 billion.

The World Economic Forum highlighted the unique set of characteristics of the GCC countries that presents numerous opportunities for leveraging emerging technological solutions to create opportunities. The introduction of 5G and associated use cases, such as education, health, government and smart cities, can help mitigate some regional and local challenges, including natural resource management and economic diversification, with a view towards sustainable development and inclusive growth.

The GCC region’s ICT development has strengthened the digital economy, enhanced productivity and created efficient means for direct access to government e-services. In fact, governments across the GCC have prioritized digital transformation, keeping it at the core of their economic and social development plans and a key component of their respective Vision 2030 plans.

The GCC E-Performance Index aggregates each country’s performance in the top five global indices: the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2021 by INSEAD, the Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2021 by Portulans Institute, the Government AI Readiness Index 2021 (GAR) by Oxford Insights, the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022 by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 2022 by the United Nations.

The Global Islamic Fintech Report (GIFT) 2021 presents that out of 64 key Islamic Fintech markets, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries dominate the top 10, particularly Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Indonesia.

The GCC region has been renowned as one of the most prominent tech adopters. The region is comprised of the Middle East’s most fruitful economies with unique yet unified visions to better the lives of their residents by developing smarter cities.

Saudi Railway Company (SAR) has selected Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT), as a partner to initiate smart railway and digital transformation in the Kingdom.

Huawei launched its largest Middle East-based Innovation Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 31, in the presence of H.E. Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Salem Al Ruwais, Governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) and H.E. Li Huanxin, the Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Global ICT solutions provider Huawei will conduct a six-country roadshow across the Middle East from April to May 2018. Under the theme 'Leading New ICT, The Road to Digital Transformation', the roadshow puts the spotlight on advanced ICT technologies that are driving digital transformation and helping to achieve the development agendas in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Pakistan.

Saudi Cabinet approves the establishment of Digital Government Authority (DGA). This shows the Kingdom’s commitment to becoming a leading digital economy.

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has announced a contract agreement with Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO), the world’s leading Hyperloop company.

Saudi telecom operator Mobily (Etihad Etisalat) has awarded Ericsson a modernization contract to upgrade its access network in the western region of Saudi Arabia, deploying the latest features of the Ericsson Radio System.

Nokia and Zain Saudi Arabia have taken a significant step towards the creation of an IoT ecosystem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the successful trial of NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) technology at a live site in Mina area of Makkah Province.

Saudi Payment’s SADAD, the national electronic bill presentment and payment service provider for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has chosen Oracle solutions to implement a robust payment security system, develop digital economy ready services and drive cost efficiencies.

In line with the Saudi Vision 2030, KPMG has signed an agreement with Oracle to accelerate the adoption of cloud-based emerging technologies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This will support the growth of the country’s digital economy.

Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO), the world’s leading hyperloop company, today announced the results of a strategic study commissioned to build the world’s first extended test and certification hyperloop track in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study also set out plans for an R&D center and manufacturing facility to support the development of the groundbreaking hyperloop technology.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia unveiled a first look at its unique data tool for measuring its performance trajectory in relation to other nations on January 23 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world that forbids women from driving vehicles, will soon lift the controversial ban - a move that has been welcomed by human rights groups around the world. A decree was issued by Saudi Arabia's King Salman. The announcement comes shortly after the kingdom allowed access to internet video calling services.

SAP is partnering with oil giant Saudi Aramco in creating a new solutions platform to enable Saudi Aramco to launch a digital business marketplace with thousands of Saudi Aramco buyers and suppliers in partnership with SAP Ariba.

Saudi Telecom (STC) has agreed to purchase a 10% stake worth $100million in UAE-based ride-hailing service Careem. The acquisition comes just months after Saudia Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) invested a stake in Uber – which is the global rival to Careem.

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution continues to transform the workplace with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation becoming increasingly prevalent across industries, Dubai-based B2B event specialist QnA International, has unveiled plans for a first-of-its-kind summit to discuss the unique challenges this will place on HR and IT departments in Saudi Arabia.