11/08/2026

With the Leadership’s Support, Saudi Arabia Continues to Advance International Partnerships to Build an Inclusive Digital and AI-Powered Future for All

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Alswaha affirmed that, under the leadership of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia continues to work with its international partners to strengthen connectivity, expand access to technology and artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities for all, and leverage its energy and computing capabilities to build a more inclusive digital and AI-powered future.
 Speaking at the Ministerial Roundtable in Doha, as part of Saudi Arabia’s participation in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference, Alswaha reaffirmed the Kingdom’s full support for the Doha Declaration. He called for expanding international partnerships beyond connectivity to include access to computing capabilities, ensuring broader participation in the AI era.
 Alswaha highlighted the global progress made over the past four years in expanding connectivity, noting that the number of people without internet access has declined from 2.6 billion to 2 billion. He emphasized the importance of building on this progress through international efforts to bridge the gap in access to AI and the opportunities it offers.
 The minister explained that the concentration of approximately 90% of the computing capacity required to develop and operate advanced AI models in just two countries underscores the need for international partnerships that broaden access to these capabilities and enable more countries to participate in the AI-driven economy.
 Alswaha cautioned that digital inequality could re-emerge in an even more pronounced form in the AI era, shifting from a connectivity gap that excludes nearly a quarter of the world’s population to the risk of excluding the majority from opportunities to contribute to AI development and benefit from its potential.
 He noted that Saudi Arabia, alongside its partners and the ITU, has helped mobilize $100 billion through the Partner2Connect initiative, contributing to efforts to narrow the digital divide. He called for building on these achievements and moving from “Partner2Connect” to “Partner2Compute” to expand access to the computing capabilities needed to develop AI and benefit from its applications.
 Alswaha emphasized that Saudi Arabia is leveraging its position as a global energy partner to support the AI era by allocating land, computing capacity, and energy resources, helping expand opportunities for all and ensuring that no one is left behind.
 On women’s empowerment, Alswaha highlighted Saudi Arabia’s partnership with the ITU through the EQUALS program and the progress achieved in empowering women across technology and digital fields. He also underscored the Kingdom’s achievements in advancing women’s participation in technology and AI, noting that Saudi Arabia recorded the highest proportion of women among leading AI researchers and innovators across the countries included in the comparative analysis of Stanford University’s 2026 AI Index Report.
 Alswaha concluded by reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s commitment to continued collaboration with the international community to align efforts, strengthen connectivity, and build a better future for all in an increasingly digital and intelligent world.