Debut smart city forum in Saudi Arabia draws top 100 speakers
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
The inaugural edition of the Global Smart City Forum held in Saudi Arabia ended on a successful note attracting over 100 speakers from 40 countries worldwide.
The event, held at the Riyadh Arena, was organised by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, under the theme 'A Better Life.'
It was attended by a number of dignitaries including ministers, experts in smart cities and artificial intelligence, policymakers in economics, as well as top officials from government and private sectors.
The forum was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).
This initiative aligns with his vision to position the Kingdom as a leader in data-driven and AI-based economies.
Through the forum, SDAIA, serving as the national authority on data and AI in the Kingdom, aims to cultivate a forward-thinking vision for the future of global urban landscapes, including those within Saudi Arabia.
The event began with the largest visual presentation in which more than 101 exhibitors representing various nationalities participated, highlighting the qualitative leap that the world's cities will witness by transforming into smart cities.
It showcased the advanced services that stand to offer people the opportunity of a better life, in addition to the advanced technologies represented by artificial intelligence that facilitate these cities, contributing to building a modern human-centered environment.
The forum saw experts discussing important topics including: the role of technologies in global cities, the future of urban mobility and traffic solutions, innovations in shaping the cities of the future, as well as planning for green and sustainable cities in the next decade.
In his address, SDAIA President Dr Abdullah bin Sharaf Al Ghamdi said: "Today we stand at a crossroads between tradition and innovation, and we remember that while we can reach the sky with data and technology, our feet are still firmly planted in serving our citizens and the residents of our cities."
"At this forum, we have more than 100 speakers representing 40 different countries, joining us over the next two days to achieve three goals: Foreseeing smart sustainable cities in the future, promoting smart government initiatives globally, and motivating companies to invest in building smart solutions," he added.
"As we started building the National Smart Cities Platform (Smart C) in the past few years to implement the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of (SDAIA), we are very grateful for his guidance. It has been instrumental in achieving great results in line with his future vision for the Kingdom," he added.
He highlighted the joint efforts of government agencies using the Smart C contributed to reducing traffic congestion on the road network of a site that hosted a huge conference in Riyadh by 36%, compared to 2022.
He also mentioned that algorithms and models were developed for the continuous detection of visual pollution in the streets, using weekly snapshots of major cities in Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, in an initiative to support national efforts to sustain urban landscapes in the Kingdom and improve the quality of life.
"We believe in the importance of strengthening the smart city ecosystem to enable sustainable growth, and one example includes: the launch of the Smart Cities Accelerator with strong participation from local and international startups, as this initiative created business opportunities in the field of smart cities and facilitated the access of more than 100 teams from 39 universities to the market," he added.
