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A growing number of AI experts is flocking to Saudi for work: The number of AI professionals that have migrated to the Kingdom this year has placed it in the 15th position globally in terms of AI talent attraction relative to population size, up from 24 last year, according to a LinkedIn press release.
Sound smart: The pool of AI experts based in Saudi doubled in size between 2016 and 2023.
Businesses are hiring more AI talent: The portion of AI talent hiring relative to total hiring grew 24% y-o-y. As a result, the Kingdom has leaped to 30th position from 35th last year, in terms of AI skill penetration on a global scale, according to data from LinkedIn.
What the pundits are saying: “The latest data on labor market trends provides further insights into how Saudi Arabia is transforming into one of the most attractive places to work in the region as it marches towards Vision 2030. The insights are indeed a nod to the kingdom’s efforts to establish itself as an AI and data leader and signal a growing tech industry that is curating a savvy and adaptive workforce,” Regional Head of LinkedIn, Ali Matar said.
THE REGIONAL ANGLE- The Kingdom was number one in MENA across digital skills including development tools, materials sciences and nanotechnology. Overall, it placed second in the wider digital skills category, bested only by the UAE.
AND- More AI startups are coming to Saudi, with the Kingdom enticing them through its Regional Headquarter Program (RHQ) with “generous housing allowances, [no-cost] office space, and potential government partnerships,” writes The Circuit.
What’s behind the boom? Incentives, the prospect of government business, and ease of doing business under the government’s Regional Headquarters Program all help. But really, it boils down to the size of the market: PwC sees AI contributing USD 135 bn to the economy by 2030. The National Strategy for Data and AI sees Saudi is looking to attract USD 75 bn in investment to the sector by that date.
Big multinational players are taking note, too: Saudi’s “abundant and inexpensive” supply of energy makes it a good hub to host power-intensive AI training data centers, CEO Michael Dell said on the sidelines of the annual Dell Technologies World event in Las Vegas, last month. The global tech player sees Saudi becoming a prime location for AI-related ventures. Amazon said in March it is investing USD 5.3 bn in a Saudi hyper-scale cloud region.
