Furthering Saudi’s digital transformation goals with local talent

Furthering Saudi’s digital transformation goals with local talent

By Shunli Wang The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is at the helm of some of the most fascinating projects and developments in the Middle East — and indeed, the world. Driven by Vision 2030, the country is undergoing widespread changes, from digitizing government operations to building Giga-projects and smart cities. Advanced digital infrastructure is recognized by Saudi’s leadership as a foundational element for many of these projects. Overall spending on ICT solutions in Saudi Arabia was expected to reach up to $32.9 billion last year alone, according to IDC estimates. At the start of 2022, I am particularly inspired by the level of tech talent present within the Kingdom today. The choice of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first time to host the recent finale of the annual Huawei Middle East ICT Competition reflects the great talent potential we see in the market. In its latest cycle, the competition finale welcomed the participation of 13 teams from 10 countries, with 453 local colleges and universities in the region involved in the competition overall. Students from various institutions in Saudi Arabia demonstrated not just high technical capabilities, but also the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that drives real socio-economic development. We saw