Saudi Arabia, Royal Philips join forces to foster AI healthcare capabilities in Kingdom

Saudi Arabian government-owned entity, Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has partnered with Dutch health technology company Royal Philips to improve its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in the healthcare sector.

SDAIA said in a statement that the public-private partnership will develop an AI ecosystem to make the Kingdom one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world.

The firms will also introduce a scientific exchange program and invest in local training to empower the new technology for Saudi Arabian data scientists and healthcare professionals.

The latest collaboration with Royal Philips will focus on five key areas. These include integrating AI capabilities in healthcare on a national scale, setting up a dedicated knowledge hub to improve local talent, enabling new business opportunities, introducing solutions that incorporate technology into clinical workflows as well as promoting knowledge exchange and collaborative research.

According to SDAIA, Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the Arab world, aims to draw $20 billion worth of international and local investment in the AI and data fields in the next 10 years.

“Saudi Arabia is witnessing a thorough developmental renaissance under the umbrella of Vision 2030 in all sectors, and at the forefront comes the technology-related fields. We, at SDAIA, through the National Strategy for Data & AI (NSDAI), seek to fully utilize the potential of data and AI and support their applications in all relevant sectors. Today, this agreement is part of our efforts to promote advanced technologies in the health field, support expertise exchange, and develop national capabilities, which will enhance the quality of health services, create new job opportunities, and elevate our national economy to become a data and AI-driven economy.“

“AI-based health technology solutions have great potential to improve patient outcomes and the efficiency of care delivery. Such solutions can for example free up valuable time for healthcare professionals to focus more on the patients. Getting every aspect of an AI-enabled solution right requires extensive collaboration between clinicians, data scientists, and other experts. That is why we are pleased to partner with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority to enable AI across all healthcare facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of Vision 2030,” said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips.

Previously, the SDAIA has allied with various companies such as US tech giants IBM and Dell and China’s Alibaba and Huawei to develop advanced capabilities in the fields of AI and smart cities.

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