Tech Mahindra to open its first data, AI and cloud centre in Saudi Arabia

The CoE will combine academic and socio-economic goals to build national hi-tech talent capacity, create quality jobs, promote digital innovation, and upscale SMEs

IT major Tech Mahindra said on Wednesday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia to set up a data, AI, and cloud centre of excellence (CoE) in Riyadh.

The company said the CoE will combine academic and socio-economic goals to build national Hi-tech talent capacity, create high-quality jobs, promote digital innovation, and upscale small & medium enterprises.

This partnership is in line with Tech Mahindra’s DigitALL philosophy for comprehensive Business Transformation. As part of NXT.NOW framework, which aims to enhance the ‘Human Centric Experience’, Tech Mahindra focuses on investing in emerging technologies and solutions that enable digital transformation and meet the evolving needs of its customers.

Haitham AlOhali, Vice Minister at MCIT, Saudi Arabia, said, "Adoption of cloud, data and AI will play a major role in Saudi Arabia's IT and digital growth. We are pleased to announce this initiative with a digital leader Tech Mahindra, which will bring global expertise and assets to Saudi Arabia and enable talent and IP creation over the next few years.”

The MoU was signed between Ibrahem N Al-Nasser, Deputy Minister for Technology of MCIT, and Ram Ramachandran, Head-Middle East & Africa, Tech Mahindra. The event was also attended by Saudi government officials and the top management team of Tech Mahindra.

CP Gurnani, MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra, said, “The world of data & AI and cloud is rapidly changing with the shifting priorities of public and private sectors globally and locally in Saudi Arabia. Some levers of this change in priorities include building new IPs and assets, bringing innovation and more importantly training and upskilling local talent. Our partnership with MCIT to establish the CoE will help in addressing the fast-changing digital transformation need of Saudi Arabia. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, we look forward to partnering with MCIT and local Universities to create an ecosystem that is diverse and digital first.”

The data & AI and cloud CoE will enable accelerated and sustainable adoption of data analytics and ethical AI. It will further drive cloud-enabled transformation across industries to develop local assets, intellectual property (IP) and promote a cognitive approach across smart services to contribute to Saudi Vision 2030's digital-led transformation objectives, the company said.

Tech Mahindra will host design thinking workshops, and hackathons around data & AI and cloud to nurture innovation and accelerate the Kingdom’s transformation to a digital economy. The partnership will provide training and development for 2,500 Saudi nationals by providing project deployment programs that enhance skills and develop careers in Data & AI and Cloud.