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Saudi Arabia invests millions in tech-powered entertainment era

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HyperSpace features a mix of digital and physical entertainment, including gaming attractions, immersive theater experiences and interactive areas for content creation. (Supplied)
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HyperSpace features a mix of digital and physical entertainment, including gaming attractions, immersive theater experiences and interactive areas for content creation. (Supplied)
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Updated 14 January 2024
Rebecca Anne Proctor
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Saudi Arabia invests millions in tech-powered entertainment era

  • KSA’s recreation landscape transforms with a fresh infusion of new investments and technology in city-based celebrations
Updated 14 January 2024
Rebecca Anne Proctor

DUBAI: As Saudi Arabia enters another busy event season, including grand city-based celebrations in Riyadh and Diriyah, a host of new entertainment ventures powered by new technology are opening up in the Kingdom.

The latest move came in October when HyperSpace announced a $55 million Series A funding round, which was largely raised from the Saudi public sector. The three-year-old startup designs, owns, and operates digital immersive entertainment parks, positioned to revitalize the retail ecosystem. 

The funding came from Riyadh Season, a government-backed entertainment initiative under the Public Investment Fund, which provided most of the debt and equity raised by HyperSpace.

The other participants in the financing round included US-based Galaxy Interactive, SEGA Ventures and UK-headquartered Apis Venture Partners.

“It’s really the world’s most innovative entertainment attraction,” Alexander Heller, the CEO of HyperSpace, told Arab News, adding: “It offers a completely new approach to location-based entertainment, as an attraction that is extremely innovative, built on technologies that already exist in the digital world and are being pulled into a physical front end for the first time.”

Heller describes the attraction as like “TikTok and Fornite had a big physical baby.”

He added: “It is part content creation arena and part physical video game. A park truly built on larger themes of content consumption, internet culture, and hype culture moving into a physical front-end entertainment space.”

HyperSpace features a mix of digital and physical entertainment, including gaming attractions, immersive theater experiences and interactive areas for content creation.

The company opened its latest venue, House of Hype, in the capital city as part of the fourth edition of Riyadh Season, dubbed the world’s largest winter entertainment event.

Bight and colorful phosphorescent lights greet guests, who enter several futuristically designed rooms in the new Riyadh House of Hype.

Visitors then become virtually immersed in technology, play games and even get to shop in what has been dubbed the largest immersive entertainment park experience connecting the real world to the world of virtual reality.

“It is very much inspired by the idea of building a big physical video game and pulling the identities and tactics of the AAA gaming world into a physical space,” added Heller.

“The PARX platform brings the digital layer of the park to life, built to enhance game place through a token driven rewards system mirroring game economies of the gaming world, and ultimately there to enhance the visitors digital identity engagement.”

“It is very much like a physical rendition of a big video game,” added Heller. “Built on an AAA gaming economy powered by the world’s most cutting-edge physical gaming system that we’ve built, which is far more complex and smart.”

“AAA” refers to high-budget, high-profile video games usually produced and distributed by well-known publishers. It signifies the high standards of production values, development resources and marketing budgets used to build the game.

The 60,000 sq. foot park uses an in-house currency called HyperCoin and generates gaming challenges using artificial intelligence data. 

Saudi Arabia is positioning itself at the forefront of new innovation and technology across so many major sectors. It is mind-blowing.

Alexander Heller, CEO of HyperSpace

Heller explains how the PARX app is HyperSpace’s digital layer, offering a gaming and digital identity-driven component to the physical attraction, built to engage the visitor further within the park and after their visit.

Furthermore, Heller added that House of Hype was built to evangelize Web3 technologies to a mass market audience. It introduces customers to their first wallet, non-fungible tokens, “in-world currency” and allows them to engage in a meaningful and attainable manner, in which they are successful.

In essence, customers will engage further with new technology in a controlled sandbox, where their success and engagement are measured by their willingness to play.

House of Hype reflects the push to incorporate new technologies in Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning entertainment market, exemplified largely this year through the program and range of events and experiences as part of Riyadh Season.

HyperSpace was founded in Dubai in January 2021 and comprises a team of multi-disciplinary industry experts from well-known companies such as Google, SNAP, The Mill, Amazon, Unity, and Apple.

The company is bridging the gap between the allure of AAA video games, social media, and other forms of digital entertainment and the timeless appeal of in-person fun with friends and family.

Its debut entertainment attraction, AYA, located at Wafi Mall in Dubai, is a digital immersive experience with 12 experience zones across 40,000 sq. feet. It sold over 480,000 tickets in its first nine months of operation.

Its House of Hype in Riyadh will become a permanent attraction in Boulevard City after the Riyadh Season ends.

Riyadh Season, which opened on Oct.28 and will close in April 2024, has become a massive draw for local and international visitors.

From international cuisine, courtesy of exclusive high-end restaurants, to dynamic rides and immersive experiences, the city will capture and reflect Riyadh’s Najdi heritage to its present-day, forward-thinking dynamism as it jets into the future.

In a video posted by General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Alalshikh on his X account in September, he announced that Riyadh Season would offer a range of 60 “new experiences” that harness high-tech elements.

The first of which he mentioned would be the world of “Barbie,” reviving the brand’s history and reflecting the release of the blockbuster movie earlier this year.

The event is also hosting the Disney castle for the first time in the Middle East as part of the company’s centennial celebration, which he said includes “amazing shows inspired by the most famous animated Disney movies.”

The other immersive experiences include the “Dancing Fountains” and “Blippi Wonders,” an educational and entertainment experience for children. Moreover, the “Zero Latency Experience” allows visitors to interact with digital content realistically.

“We are excited to witness the rapid growth of HyperSpace in Saudi Arabia as they endeavor to build this generation’s next entertainment company, which comes at the intersection of technology, AI and Web3,” Alalshikh said in a statement. In addition to emphasizing new technology for entertainment and leisure experiences, AlalShikh said the fourth edition “aims to create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs and enable nearly 2,000 local and international companies.”

Riyadh Season will cover an area of more than 7 million sq. meters of entertainment experiences.

“This season is different,” he said, adding: “Big time.”

The move toward a tech-powered entertainment era is part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan to reduce its dependence on oil revenues by investing in other areas, including culture, tourism, sports teams and electric vehicle production.

Saudi Arabia’s efforts to become a global gaming hub scored big after Savvy Games, owned by the Public Investment Fund, completed the acquisition of Scopely, a leading US-based video gaming firm, for $4.9 billion.

Qiddya Entertainment City, located about 45 kilometers from the center of Riyadh, is also expected to be the world’s largest entertainment city by 2030. The city will cover 334 sq. km.

The buzz around entertainment clearly reflects the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 blueprint that aims to improve the quality of life for Saudi citizens through cultural, entertainment, and sports activities.

The Kingdom’s entertainment and amusement sector is expected to be worth $1.17 billion by 2030.

“Saudi Arabia is positioning itself at the forefront of new innovation and technology across so many major sectors,” Heller told Arab News. “It is mind-blowing.”

Topics: Saudi Arabia HyperSpace entertainment

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EU states give final endorsement to AI rules

Updated 21 May 2024
Arab News
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EU states give final endorsement to AI rules

  • The EU says the law will protect citizens from AI’s dangers while harnessing the technology’s potential in Europe
Updated 21 May 2024
Arab News

RIYADH: EU states on Tuesday gave their final backing to landmark rules on artificial intelligence that will govern powerful systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

The European Parliament had already approved the law in March and it will now enter into force after being published in the official EU journal in the coming days.

The EU says the law will protect citizens from AI’s dangers while harnessing the technology’s potential in Europe.

First proposed in 2021, the rules took on greater urgency after ChatGPT arrived in 2022, showing generative AI’s human-like ability to produce eloquent text within seconds.

Other examples of generative AI include Dall-E and Midjourney, which can produce images in nearly any style with a simple input in everyday language. The law known as the “AI Act” takes a risk-based approach: if a system is high-risk, a company has a tougher set of obligations to fulfill to protect citizens’ rights.

There are strict bans on using AI for predictive policing and systems that use biometric information to infer an individual’s race, religion or sexual orientation. Companies will have to comply by 2026 but rules covering AI models like ChatGPT will apply 12 months after the law becomes official.

Pledge

The world’s leading companies pledged at the start of a mini summit on AI to develop the technology safely, including pulling the plug if they can’t rein in the most extreme risks.

World leaders are expected to hammer out further agreements on artificial intelligence as they gathered virtually to discuss AI’s potential risks but also ways to promote its benefits and innovation.

The AI Seoul Summit is a low-key follow-up to November’s high-profile AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in the UK, where participating countries agreed to work together to contain the potentially “catastrophic” risks posed by breakneck advances in AI.

The two-day meeting — co-hosted by South Korea and the UK — also comes as major tech companies like Meta, OpenAI and Google roll out the latest versions of their AI models.

They’re among 16 AI companies that made voluntary commitments to AI safety as the talks got underway, according to a British government announcement. 

The companies, which also include Amazon, Microsoft, France’s Mistral AI, China’s Zhipu.ai, and G42 of the UAE, vowed to ensure safety of their most cutting edge AI models with promises of accountable governance and public transparency.

The pledge includes publishing safety frameworks setting out how they will measure risks of these models.

Topics: artificial intelligence OpenAI ChatGPT European Union

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Saudi Arabia is a model of sustainable aviation practices: ICAO official

Updated 21 May 2024
Reina Takla
Nour El-Shaeri
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Saudi Arabia is a model of sustainable aviation practices: ICAO official

Updated 21 May 2024
Reina Takla Nour El-Shaeri

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is a “model” for sustainable practices in the aviation section, said president of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council.

In an interview with Arab News during the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh, Salvatore Sciacchitano emphasized the Kingdom’s position as an emerging leader in sustainable aviation. 

Speaking about the global agenda to reduce carbon emissions, Sciacchitano said: “Saudi Arabia is in this sense a model because their plan of development is in the perspective of sustainability. This is very positive.” 

“They have projects for low-carbon emission fuels. That means fossil fuels but to produce reduced emissions thanks to green energy that is used for the production. So this is a good direction,” he added.  

The ICAO official highlighted the importance of adhering to international standards and practices, saying that Saudi Arabia’s aviation growth aligns with global standards.  

He stated: “The regulations are there, we call SARPs, standards and recommended practices, these are applicable all over the world to all 193 (member) states of ICAO.” 

Highlighting the role of the Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, Sciacchitano praised the support of the authority to the Regional Safety Oversight Organization, which is a way to put resources together at the regional level. 

“Let me say that the GACA is well advanced in terms of programs, projects, training, and also providing support at (the) regional level,” he said. 

“In this sense, Saudi Arabia is well prepared, not just to support its own development, but also to support the development of the region,” he added. 

Sciacchitano said ICAO is there to support its member states. Although he believes that the Kingdom is fully capable of achieving its goals independently. “We absolutely support them with our expertise,” he added. 

Sciacchitano predicted a significant increase in global air traffic, with the number of passengers expected to reach 11.5 billion by 2050, up from the current 4.6 billion.  

He emphasized the need for technological advancements to accommodate this growth, stating that technologies will allow the world to accommodate more airplanes in the air and more space on the ground. 

Topics: FAF2024

Pakistan approves petrol, diesel supply deal between Aramco, GO Petroleum

Updated 21 May 2024
Khurshid Ahmed
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Pakistan approves petrol, diesel supply deal between Aramco, GO Petroleum

Updated 21 May 2024
Khurshid Ahmed

KARACHI: The Competition Commission of Pakistan has granted a time-bound exemption on relevant clauses of a product supply agreement between Saudi oil giant Aramco and Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd.,  known as GO Petroleum, for the import and sale of petrol and diesel products to Pakistan, the CCP said on Tuesday.

Aramco Trading Co. Fujairah FZE Ltd. is one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies, while GO Petroleum is an oil-marketing company registered in Pakistan that operates a network of retail outlets across the country that sell petrol, diesel and lubricants.

Under the agreement, ATC Fujairah intends to meet GO Petroleum’s demand for essential petroleum products for its outlets, which primarily includes petrol and diesel.

“The parties submitted to the CCP that this arrangement is expected to achieve economies of scale in procurement for GO Petroleum, potentially resulting in better prices for Pakistani consumers,” the CCP said in a statement.

“The exemption sought was on exclusivity aspects of the commercial agreement to supply 100 percent demand of imported products for GO Petroleum’s retail outlets. The CCP has accordingly granted exemption on the product supply agreement with certain conditions included therein.”

The CCP grants exemptions pursuant to Section 9 of the Competition Act, 2010, ensuring that such exemptions have economic benefits that outweigh anti-competitive effects.

“The CCP’s conditions stipulate that both parties must refrain from engaging in anti-competitive activities. Importantly, the exemption does not include approval on any pricing terms and mechanisms related to the products,” the CCP statement read.

“Additionally, as the agreement has referred to certain off specification products, however approval of concerned sector regulator should be ensured for import and sales. The applicants have also been directed to ensure required approvals on their terminals and storage facilities by relevant authorities to be used in the execution of this agreement.”

Subject to the conditions, the CCP said, it had granted the exemption until June 2026 and both applicants could approach it for an extension with required details and also identifying the benefits that have accrued to the improved distribution network of petroleum products and enhanced competition in the market.

Last month, the CCP approved Saudi oil giant Aramco’s move to acquire a 40 percent stake in Go Petroleum, officially marking the Saudi company’s entry into Pakistan’s fuels retail market.

The CCP said it had authorized the merger after determining the acquisition would not result in the acquirers’ “dominance” in the relevant market post-transaction. The acquisition would help bring much-needed foreign direct investment in Pakistan’s energy sector, contributing to economic growth and development of the country, it added.

In February 2019, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia inked investment deals totaling $21 billion during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Islamabad. The agreements included about $10 billion for an Aramco oil refinery and $1 billion for a petrochemical complex at the strategic Gwadar Port in Balochistan.

Both countries have lately been working to increase bilateral trade and investment, and the Kingdom recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion.

Topics: main

Saudi Arabia to reveal new innovative tourism strategy in 2024: top official

Updated 21 May 2024
Reina Takla
Nadin Hassan
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Saudi Arabia to reveal new innovative tourism strategy in 2024: top official

Updated 21 May 2024
Reina Takla Nadin Hassan

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is set to unveil a new tourism strategy this year utilizing artificial intelligence and seamless technology, according to a top official.

Speaking to Arab News in an interview on the sidelines of the Future Aviation Forum 2024, Gloria Guevara Manzo, chief special adviser at the Ministry of Tourism, noted that the plan seeks to maximize the Kingdom’s assets including culture, history, heritage and hospitality.

“Right now, the ministry, under the leadership of his excellency, is developing the new strategy, and that new strategy is going to include several new things, such as the use of AI, for instance, seamless and many other technologies that are important for growth,” Manzo said.

She added: “(The) strategy, hopefully is going to be released this year and is going to be shared with the world. The strategy that we have right now was developed in 2019. We accomplished the milestone of the 100 million tourists, domestic and international, seven years ahead (of schedule).”

Manzo also discussed the importance of sustainability so people are still “enjoying” the world today while ensuring resources are preserved for future use

This concept involves multiple facets, including economic, environmental, and social considerations.

“For 30 years, we have been measuring and that’s why we know that 10 percent of the global gross domestic product before the pandemic (came from travel and tourism), and we’re going to reach that number this year again,” Manzo said.

She added that before the COVID-19 outbreak there were 330 million jobs in the industry, adding: “This year, we’re hoping to break a record with 348 million. One out of 10 jobs depends on this sector, so the economic aspect is very clear. The social aspect also is quite interesting — 54 percent women, 30 percent youth.”

Manzo emphasized the positive social impacts of travel and tourism, such as poverty reduction and the prevention of illegal migration by providing local job opportunities.

Despite these benefits, there had been a lack of clear measurement regarding the sustainability of this industry.

However, a significant study sponsored by Saudi Arabia, particularly by Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb and the ministry, addressed this gap.

Released last year, this provided comprehensive insights into the environmental impact of travel and tourism, revealing that 8.1 percent of greenhouse emissions are attributable to this sector.

“Now that we know that, then we can go industry by industry to understand what is the impact, and from that 8 percent, 47 percent is due to transportation and it could be aviation, it can be road, it can be cruising all the different aspects,” she said.

Manzo added: “Now, the reality is that aviation counts between 1.5 and 2 percent of the global emissions. But as I said in the panel, we cannot see this in an isolated approach. We need to see this from a holistic point of view. We need to understand what are the quick wins.”

Therefore, she noted that this does not mean stopping flying is the solution, as it has “very severe consequences.”

She said: “Millions of people can lose their jobs. We saw that during the pandemic, travel provides food on the table to millions of people from around the world. That’s a factor that we have to consider.” 

Mazo stated that the right approach should be finding ways to travel in a more sustainable way, as she referred to a statement by Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman ,when he said that the Kingdom is leading this transition.

Furthermore, the adviser stressed the importance of the Future Aviation Forum as it reflects the significance of connectivity within and outside the Kingdom as emphasized by Al-Khateeb on the first day.

“We need to increase the connectivity within the Kingdom, to the Kingdom and of course outside in order to increase the trade and do business and have more exports, more imports, and all of the above,” she stated.

Manzo continued: “In that regard it is very important to continue with the partnerships, not only at the destination level, but also at the corporate level and with the different entities, with the government. Without transport, we don’t have tourism, and tourism is very important for transport also to grow.”

 

 

 

Topics: FAF2024

Saudi Arabia closes May sukuk issuance at $860m 

Updated 21 May 2024
Arab News
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Saudi Arabia closes May sukuk issuance at $860m 

Updated 21 May 2024
Arab News

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has completed its riyal-denominated sukuk issuance for May at SR3.23 billion ($860 million), according to the National Debt Management Center. 

In April, Saudi Arabia issued sukuk amounting to SR7.39 billion, while it was SR4.44 billion and SR7.87 billion in March and February respectively. 

NDMC revealed that the Shariah-compliant debt product for May was divided into two tranches.

The first tranche valued at SR71 million is set to mature in 2029, while the second one amounting to SR3.16 billion is due in 2036. 

In March 2024, NDMC concluded its second government sukuk savings round, with a total volume of requests reaching SR959 million, allocated to 37,000 applicants.

NDMC, at that time, said that the financial product, also known as Sah, offers a return of 5.64 percent, with a maturity date in March 2025. 

In April, a report released by S&P Global said that sukuk issuance globally is expected to hover between the $160 billion to $170 billion mark in 2024, representing a steady momentum from $168.4 billion in 2023 and $179.4 billion in 2022. 

According to the US-based firm, the issuance of this Shariah-compliant debt product began on a strong footing in 2024, with Saudi Arabia becoming a key contributor to the performance. 

The credit rating agency also noted that the sukuk market will continue to grow in the near term driven by financing needs in core Islamic finance countries, along with the ongoing economic transformation programs which are currently underway in nations like Saudi Arabia. 

“The market has started 2024 on a strong footing, with total issuance reaching $46.8 billion at March 31, 2024, compared with $38.2 billion at March 31, 2023. Saudi Arabia was a key contributor to this performance,” said S&P Global. 

It added: “The drop in issuance volumes in 2023, which mainly resulted from tighter liquidity conditions in Saudi Arabia’s banking system and Indonesia’s lower fiscal deficit, was somewhat compensated by an increase in foreign currency-denominated sukuk issuance.” 

In April, another report released by Fitch Ratings also echoed similar views and noted that global sukuk issuance is expected to continue growing in the coming months of this year. 

Fitch noted that economic diversification efforts and the rapid development of the debt capital market in the Gulf Cooperation Council region will propel the growth of the sukuk market in the coming months. 

Topics: Finance

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