Saudi Arabia called for an interconnected Gulf digital system that integrates computing and artificial intelligence capabilities, while preserving data sovereignty and supporting the global competitiveness of companies.
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The call came in a speech delivered by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, during the thirtieth meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Post and Telecommunications of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which was held in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Al-Swaha stressed that the Kingdom is working with the GCC countries to enhance Gulf integration based on three pillars: moving from digital resilience to leadership in artificial intelligence, integrating energy and computing while preserving data sovereignty, and building common markets for entrepreneurship that enhance global competitiveness.
Regarding the digital infrastructure, he explained that the Kingdom harnessed its capabilities and infrastructure to ensure the continuity of data and communications traffic in the GCC countries, after adding more than 8.4 terabits per second to international capacities, and raising the capacity by about 80 percent to reach 18 terabits per second.
She also submitted to the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council and the country of the Presidency a proposal to establish a sustainable digital link similar to the electrical link, to consolidate digital resilience within a joint Gulf system.
In the field of energy and computing integration, he mentioned that the Kingdom has made available diverse sites and electrical capacities of 14 gigawatts for data centers that serve the Kingdom, the GCC countries, the region and the world, and called for building a sustainable model for cooperation in these centers.
He emphasized the importance of opening markets and harmonizing standards and criteria for Gulf companies to enable them to move from regional competition to global competitiveness. He noted that the GCC countries are home to more than 20 companies valued at over $1 billion, and that their share of venture capital investments in the region reaches approximately 95 percent, reflecting the vast opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation.
He concluded by emphasizing that the next phase requires working as a unified Gulf system in the fields of data, computing, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, and developing an interconnected infrastructure that enables citizens and businesses to benefit from its services efficiently and easily across the GCC countries. He stressed that linking and integrating existing capabilities is fundamental to enhancing the Gulf states' ability to compete globally and transforming their technological and economic potential into a combined force that supports their international leadership.