Accra:The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has called for sustainable digital connectivity among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, emphasizing the integration of computing capabilities to safeguard data sovereignty and enhance global competitiveness. This initiative aims to bolster GCC integration in the era of artificial intelligence, transforming the technological and economic capabilities of member states into a collective force for global leadership.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the announcement was made by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha during the 30th Meeting of the GCC Ministerial Committee for Post and Telecommunications, held in Bahrain. Alswaha highlighted that under the guidance of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia is collaborating with GCC states to advance from digital resilience to AI leadership, integrate energy and computing capabilities while maintaining data sovereignty, and establish common markets to boost global competitiveness.
Alswaha detailed that Saudi Arabia has increased its international data capacity significantly, adding over 8.4 terabits per second (Tbps) and raising the total to 18 Tbps. A proposal has been submitted to the GCC General Secretariat and the current presidency holder to create sustainable digital interconnectivity, inspired by the GCC electricity interconnection model.
In terms of energy and computing integration, Alswaha mentioned that Saudi Arabia has allocated 14 gigawatts of power capacity for data centers serving the GCC and beyond. He advocated for developing a sustainable cooperation model for data centers.
He also underlined the necessity of opening markets and harmonizing standards to enable Gulf companies to compete on a global scale. The GCC is home to over 20 unicorn companies and represents approximately 95% of venture capital investment in the region, indicating significant opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation.
Alswaha concluded by stressing the importance of forming a unified Gulf ecosystem, integrating data, computing, cloud services, and AI, to create interconnected infrastructure that facilitates seamless access to these services for citizens and businesses across the GCC.