Sadaaya, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, has succeeded in leading Saudi Arabia in the field of data and artificial intelligence globally, where the Kingdom ranked at the forefront in the Government AI Readiness Index. Additionally, Saudi Arabia ranked second globally in societal awareness of artificial intelligence. The “Tawakkalna” application won the United Nations Public Service Award for its innovative and flexible efforts in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, confirming the Kingdom’s technological and digital excellence.
This global distinction was achieved through the great efforts exerted by Sadaaya since its establishment in 2019, to lead the national direction of data and artificial intelligence with the aim of enhancing the Kingdom’s position as a leader in the fields of data and artificial intelligence. These efforts aim to elevate the Kingdom in global rankings related to data and artificial intelligence, supported and guided by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and Chairman of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority.
Sadaaya excelled in its professional performance, which led to it receiving several international certificates from the International ICMG organization, including 4 certificates demonstrating its excellence in infrastructure technology globally, a certificate of excellence in knowledge and information access, as well as the international Tier III certificate for data centers affiliated with the National Information Center, and obtaining the fifth maturity level certificate in software development and the third maturity level certificate in service delivery.
Recently, the authority received three ISO certificates for the integrated management system, including the ISO 9001 certificate for quality management system, the ISO 45001 certificate for occupational health and safety management system, and the ISO 14001 certificate for environmental management system. These certificates are granted due to the authority’s adoption of best practices and policies to enhance quality, environment, health, occupational safety levels, in addition to the ISO 22301 certificate for business continuity management.
Amid these outstanding achievements, the Ihsan platform managed by Sadaaya won the Digital Government Award for Best Digital Service for its Teasurer service, and was registered in the Guinness World Records for achieving the largest daily donation worldwide within 24 hours. Additionally, the digital transformation of smart cities in the Kingdom, led by Sadaaya in collaboration with government entities, contributed to elevating five Saudi cities in the IMD Smart City Index for 2024 issued by the International Institute for Administrative Development.
The integration of efforts with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority in supporting the digital transformation in the Kingdom, through the Saudi Vision 2030 programs linked to 70% data and artificial intelligence, aims to make Saudi Arabia a leading country in data and artificial intelligence technology, to enhance advanced technologies in facilitating services for citizens and residents.
Sadaaya worked towards achieving the goals of the Vision programs, such as the Quality of Life program through various initiatives and projects. Among these initiatives is the Tawakkalna application which contributed toEnhancing the understanding of quality of life for over 30 million users in the Kingdom, through providing more than 240 easily accessible and user-friendly digital services for all. The unified national access application (Nafath) has also contributed to providing a seamless and reliable user experience by facilitating their access to governmental services in an organized and facilitated manner.
On the human aspect, “Sadaya” has worked on advancing the highest levels of technology in the fields of data and artificial intelligence for the national charity platform “Ehsan”. Their goal is to facilitate the donation process and ensure that donations reach the deserving individuals as quickly as possible. Thanks to these efforts, the total donations through the platform have reached over 6 billion Riyals so far, benefiting more than 4.8 million people.
Through the National Office for Smart Cities, Sadaya provided advanced analytics using simulation models to support the building of future plans and directions based on artificial intelligence algorithms. Its services include smart city operations centers and digital services such as digital sealing, Naba platform, fulfillment, and Shamos, in addition to the Your Voice project that utilizes an artificial intelligence system to convert speech into texts in Arabic and local dialects, enabling its use in meeting recordings, chatbot development, and interactive voice systems.
As part of the Guest of the Merciful Service program under the Vision program, Sadaya provided high-level technological services to assist in serving the guests of the Merciful, by establishing the “Sawahir” platform and the “Baseer” platform developed to organize crowds in the Grand Mosque and manage movement based on capacity in all areas. The efforts also included building integrated technology services to support the Mecca Road initiative and pilgrim reception lounges through 15 air, sea, and land points in the Kingdom, Mecca, routes leading to it, and the holy places.
Sadaya has prepared the digital infrastructure for the traveler system, which is one of the advanced high-precision technology systems provided at all air and land ports. This system aims to record the entry and exit of travelers, and it has contributed to speeding up their registration and departure process by providing all necessary data through its integration and connection with other systems, in addition to the mobile baggage service.
Efforts have been increased to support the healthcare transformation program, where the Kingdom has launched the Center of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to develop the national strategy in the field of data and artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector. They also established a national innovation center in the field of data and artificial intelligence in collaboration with King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Lean Company, and Saudi Artificial Intelligence Company (SKY) to launch the local “Ainai” solution, which is a revolution in regional medical diagnostics.
“Ainai” is one of the leading medical solutions in Saudi Arabia that uses artificial intelligence to detect retinopathy in diabetic patients, focusing on diagnosing it accurately and quickly through smart analytics and algorithms. This solution is designed to facilitate and improve the examination process, and to overcome challenges such as limited resources, lengthy tests, and high costs.
Sadaya has developed a program for early detection of breast cancer using machine learning within this program, and has established a machine learning lab for medical imaging in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The infrastructure and computational power have been equipped to develop artificial intelligence models for medical imaging. The project aims to provide a unified source of data and medical images necessary for development operations, and to provide an environment for running and applying the developed models in projects related to detecting breast cancer, respiratory diseases, and vascular calcifications.
To achieve the goals of the Human Capacity Development program, Sadaya organized short and long-term training camps and programs through its academy in collaboration with global academic and technological institutions. As a result, more than 617,000 individuals from the nation have benefited from these initiatives, contributing to raising awareness of artificial intelligence in the Kingdom.
The company has sought to provide initiatives that support awareness programs.In various domains such as fundamental, general, specialized, mandatory, and participatory awareness, in collaboration with major technology companies worldwide. The dissemination of knowledge about generative artificial intelligence has been worked on by cooperating with universities in the Kingdom and organizing forums that bring together university professors and students. Specialized programs in data and artificial intelligence fields have also been provided to train Saudi leadership in government entities.
As part of the National Transformation Program, Sadaia has sought to enhance the open data system by maximizing its economic value in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and providing valuable and reusable data. This contributes to enhancing transparency in government sectors and developing a national framework for measuring data management maturity in government entities. The efforts also aim to enhance transparency in all government sectors by developing policies and systems related to data classification and personal data protection, and raising the Kingdom’s rank in global indicators. Additionally, the program aims to register entities covered by the personal data protection system to enhance their compliance with the system’s provisions.
Sadaia has achieved gains exceeding 51 billion riyals through the foresight platform that supports decision-making, as part of achieving the goals of the financial sustainability program. Thanks to the National Data Bank, it succeeded in improving the quality of national data and contributing to building a data-based digital economy. Additionally, Sadaia has introduced other projects such as the “Barq” platform, “Bayan” store, “Saudi Business Center” platform, and “Ghaia Accelerator”.
Dadah, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Wealth, launched the Center of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in the industry and mining sector as part of the National Industry Development Program and Logistics Services. This center aims to adopt artificial intelligence technologies, address sector challenges, and support achieving strategic goals to contribute to transforming the Kingdom into a leading industrial force and global logistics hub, through data and artificial intelligence technologies.
The Ministry of Energy announced the launch of the Artificial Intelligence Center for Energy, aiming to use smart technology to support energy sector initiatives and achieve Saudi Arabia’s Green goals in reducing carbon emissions. Additionally, the Center of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in Environment, Water, and Agriculture was announced in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture to innovate sustainability solutions using smart technology in these areas, along with the Joint Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
As part of achieving the goals of the National Vision to make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a leading international destination, Sadaia organized the Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence in two editions, carrying the slogan “Artificial Intelligence for Human Welfare” in Riyadh with the participation of over 10,000 people and 200 speakers from 90 countries, representing policy-makers and heads of major technology companies worldwide. It also organized the first Global Forum for Smart Cities in Riyadh under the theme “Better Life” with the participation of 100 speakers from 40 countries worldwide, and also organized the Open Data Forum in Riyadh.
To enhance the knowledge society, Sadaia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Mawhiba Foundation, launched the “Azwaj” project which is considered the largest technology project in the Kingdom. This project involved 260,000 male and female students from middle and high school stages in a scientific journey lasting over 6 months. This journey witnessed significant interaction from students, teachers, and parents, creating a deep knowledge atmosphere about programming techniques and artificial intelligence.
