Saudi Arabia has taken another step towards strengthening its artificial intelligence ecosystem with the launch of the region’s first AI Innovation Centre by Tuwaiq Academy in collaboration with NVIDIA.
The new centre, launched at Tuwaiq Academy’s headquarters in Riyadh, will focus on developing Saudi talent in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Initially, the initiative will prioritise natural language processing (NLP) through practical training programmes delivered jointly by experts from Tuwaiq Academy and NVIDIA.
The collaboration reflects Saudi Arabia’s broader ambition to create a highly skilled AI workforce while accelerating innovation under Saudi Vision 2030.
AI Innovation Centre to strengthen Saudi AI workforce
Unlike many AI investments that focus on infrastructure, the new AI Innovation Centre aims to develop local talent capable of building, deploying and managing AI solutions.
The academy said the initiative will bring together specialists from both organisations to design practical learning programmes. As a result, participants will gain industry-relevant skills while working on real-world AI applications.
Furthermore, the centre plans to graduate globally certified AI ambassadors who can meet the growing demand for AI professionals across the Kingdom.
Practical learning at the heart of the partnership
Abdulaziz Alhammadi, CEO of Tuwaiq Academy, said the academy’s programmes follow a practical and application-focused learning model designed to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s technological leadership.
“Our programmes are based on a practical, application-focused learning methodology designed to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s technological leadership.”
The launch event was attended by representatives from NVIDIA, along with industry experts and ecosystem partners.
Supporting Saudi Vision 2030 through AI skills
The AI Innovation Centre forms part of Tuwaiq Academy’s long-term strategy to develop digital talent in Saudi Arabia.
Founded in 2019 and based at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, the academy aims to qualify 100,000 programmers by 2030 through specialised training programmes and coding bootcamps.
Consequently, the new collaboration with NVIDIA is expected to expand the country’s AI talent pipeline while supporting workforce development goals outlined in Saudi Vision 2030.
NVIDIA expands AI partnerships across the Middle East
The launch also highlights NVIDIA’s growing investment in AI capability-building across the Middle East and North Africa.
In recent years, the company has established several knowledge-based partnerships across the region. These include an AI Innovation Centre in Tunisia’s Novation City technology park, a joint AI and robotics laboratory with Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute, and the Earth-2 Climate Tech Lab with G42 in Abu Dhabi.
Therefore, the partnership with Tuwaiq Academy further strengthens NVIDIA’s regional strategy of supporting AI education, research and workforce development.
