Riyadh: The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) yesterday signed three strategic local and international partnerships aimed at strengthening collaboration in artificial intelligence (AI), urban innovation, and industrial transformation.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the partnerships support the development of advanced technological solutions, promote the knowledge-based economy, and enable Saudi cities and industries to adopt cutting-edge technologies, in alignment with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
The first partnership, signed on the sidelines of the International Conference on Data and AI Capacity Building (ICAN2026) between KACST - acting in its capacity as the national lab and innovation parks - and the Madinah Regional Municipality, establishes a cooperation framework. Under the partnership, KACST will serve as a research and advisory entity for the municipality's Urban Lab project, contributing to the development of innovative solutions to urban challenges, enhancing quality of life, and supporting the replication and scaling of successful models across cities in the Kingdom.
In the area of industrial transformation, KACST signed a trilateral strategic partnership with the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP) and Rockwell Automation. The partnership aims to support Saudi Arabia's transformation into a leading industrial power and a global logistics hub by advancing scientific research, localizing technologies, and accelerating the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
KACST also strengthened Saudi-Korean cooperation in AI through a strategic partnership with NAVER Cloud Corporation. The partnership seeks to develop a large language model (LLM) that supports the Arabic language, enabling Arabic content and applications across scientific and technological fields, and reinforcing the Kingdom's position as a regional hub for AI and digital innovation.