RIYADH/JEDDAH: As the Saudi team secured sixth place in a contest at the World Robot Summit held in Japan, the chief of the Research Products Development Co. (RPDC) expressed optimism over Kingdom’s plan to promote artificial intelligence and build a strong robotics base in the Kingdom.
Abdulmohsen Al-Majnouni told Arab News that it was a major accomplishment as the Kingdom “is building its capabilities” to bring about the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The company is owned by Taqnia, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund. Officials of the Research Products Development Co. led the Saudi robotics team, which competed with 16 other countries at the summit and qualified for the final contest.
“Inspired by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, our national robotics team of young men and women, under the leadership of Dr. Nahid Sidki, the chief technology officer of RPDC, reached the final competition. The journey to the summit included qualification round of 119 international teams where 16 teams managed to reach the finals in the industrial challenge,” he said.
According to Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alsawaha, advanced technology from the Fourth Industrial Revolution is expected to generate around SR1 trillion for the Saudi economy in new revenue streams.
The Kingdom will enjoy economic boosts from robotics, artificial intelligence, and wireless production models as it pushes for smarter cities and infrastructure.
“This accomplishment is inspiring to both our young men and women and to our leadership. We do not need to wait until 2030 to start achieving our targets. They are closer than many (people) think. With the government's support, we can start building amazing capabilities in robotics and AI and transform the Kingdom into a highly competitive economy,” said RPDC COO Dr. Mashal Al-Harbi.
The secret to achieving the target, he said, is to find “passionate, dedicated and smart talent, engaging them in challenging projects for hands-on experience and supporting them with the needed resources and guidance to unlock their full potential.”
The World Robot Summit is supported by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; and the Energy Industrial Technology Development Organization. It aims to expedite the development of robotics and AI technologies to support the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“They open it up to the world to inspire young men and women to solve a very challenging problem. We managed to develop an innovative architecture to address the challenge and our talented team worked hard for almost two years despite the COVID-19 lockdown and the many challenges we faced,” said Sidki.
“The accomplishment is a reminder to our young talent that only through the dedication and hard work we can accomplish what others consider impossible,” he said.
“My message to Saudi young men and women is to follow your dreams and unlock your full potential and don’t let fear drive your ambition. Moving forward, we expect Saudi Arabia’s young talent to be major competitors in international AI and Robotics competitions,” the company’s chief technology officer said.
