Saudi Arabia Showcases its Digital Leadership and Support for ITU Goals

During its participation in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia highlighted its progress toward digital leadership, reaffirming its dedication in supporting the summit’s goals and enhancing the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in fostering inclusive and sustainable digital communities.

The forum featured the participation of H.E. Eng. Haytham AlOhali, the Vice Minister At Ministry of Communications & Information Technology and the Acting Governor of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST). Speaking before senior officials and experts representing 194 countries, he showcased Saudi Arabia’s progress in advancing the ITU’s strategic objectives, referencing key global indicators that reflect the Kingdom’s success in the digital domain.

H.E. emphasized that Saudi Arabia ranked 1st globally in ICT Development Index issued by ITU, reflecting the ongoing development in the ICT sector, noting that Saudi Arabia is now among the global leaders in providing digital government services, and has achieved 6th globally in the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) in 2024.

Moreover, H.E. AlOhali showcased the Kingdom’s robust ICT infrastructure, as the digital economy reached $132 billion in 2024, representing 15% of our GDP and half of the region’s digital economy.

H.E. aslo participated in the” Crafting a well balanced, pro innovation regulatory framework” session during the AI World Summit, where he emphasized that the foundation of a sustainable AI ecosystem lies in investing in human capital, infrastructure, and clear standards.

H.E. stated, "Today, we possess the largest technical workforce in the region, comprising over 381,000 specialists, with an annual growth rate of 8.8% compared to 350,000 in 2023. We began our journey in 2018 with an investment exceeding $25B in digital infrastructure in partnership with the private sector, which enabled the Kingdom to top the 2025 ICT Development Index."

Saudi Arabia is scaling up its investments through strategic alliances with major global AI companies, including AMD, AWS, and Qualcomm. In addition to a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to establish a 500MW data center. As well as, the launch of “Humain” marks the creation of a regional and global AI powerhouse, backed by robust infrastructure and Cloud Computing. These initiatives reflect the Kingdom’s strong commitment to fostering a thriving AI ecosystem and reinforcing its position as a global hub for sustainable innovation.