Google to launch Innovation Hubs in Saudi Arabia

Google has signed an agreement with the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming to set up five Google Innovation Hubs across the kingdom.

The deal was signed on Tuesday by Saud Al Qahtani, adviser at the Royal Court and president of the federation, and Matt Prater, president of Google for the Europe, Africa and Middle East region, seeking to develop local talent in the production of prototypes, mobile applications and artificial intelligence.

Quoted in local media, Al-Qahtani praised the support of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman in making deals such as this possible.

“This is a continuation of the successes of the Crown Prince’s visit to the United States,” he said. “The agreement will contribute to attracting Saudi boy and girl students who have talent and innovative skills.”

The agreement will mean that five Google Innovation Hubs will be launched in different parts of Saudi Arabia, in a bid to promote and develop the capabilities of tens of thousands of participants each year in the field of advanced software.

A release by the Saudi Press Agency said: “The first of these centers, which will be set up at the headquarters of the federation in Riyadh, will be the largest of its kind in the world. It will have the capacity to accommodate 40,000 trainees in a year.”

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The hubs will provide educational and technical materials and advanced technology curricula, a state of the art training laboratory, and lectures and workshops by specialists, practitioners, entrepreneurs and other experts.