RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s sovereign AI strategy has been highlighted in an international report, with the Kingdom cited as an example of how governments are building national AI capabilities.
The report, “Securing Nations in the Intelligent Economy: Turning AI and Quantum Disruption into Strategic Advantage,” jointly published by Microsoft and Accenture, said Saudi Arabia has emerged as a leading case study in integrating artificial intelligence into national economic and security strategies through sovereign investment, technology partnerships and quantum computing initiatives.
The findings come amid Saudi Arabia’s growing prominence in the global AI landscape, with Stanford University’s 2026 AI Index Report ranking the Kingdom first worldwide in AI security, privacy and cryptography, as well as in women's empowerment in AI.
The Kingdom is accelerating efforts under Vision 2030 to become a global artificial intelligence hub, with AI positioned as a key driver of economic diversification, productivity and innovation
“Through the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the Kingdom has built a robust foundation over the past six years by forming strategic alliances with major US technology companies, positioning Saudi Arabia as a global hub for AI and emerging technologies,” the report stated.
It added: “In 2024, SDAIA signed over 29 agreements with leading US tech firms, followed by more than 90 contracts in 2025, focusing on technology localization, talent development and knowledge exchange.”
The report said the partnerships align with Vision 2030’s ambition to transform Saudi Arabia into "a data-driven, AI-powered economy," reflecting the Kingdom’s commitment to innovation, research and global collaboration in shaping the future of technology.
The Microsoft-Accenture report also highlighted Saudi Aramco’s agreement with French quantum computing company Pasqal to deploy a 200-qubit neutral-atom quantum computer in the Kingdom, describing the project as part of broader efforts to build a national quantum research ecosystem alongside Saudi Arabia’s AI infrastructure.
Regional progress
The report cited Dubai as an example of how AI investments are improving public-sector performance.
According to the study, the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence has reduced government service processing times by up to 50 percent and customer response times by up to 80 percent. Around 45 percent of service requests are now resolved autonomously, contributing to a 40 percent increase in citizen satisfaction and a 30 percent improvement in productivity.
Building resilience
The report urged governments to make AI security a core pillar of national defense strategies, prepare now for quantum-era cybersecurity risks, strengthen whole-of-nation cyber resilience through intelligence sharing, and align governance frameworks across AI, cybersecurity and quantum technologies.
It concluded that countries investing early in sovereign AI capabilities, secure digital infrastructure and quantum readiness will be better positioned to strengthen economic competitiveness while safeguarding national security in the emerging intelligent economy.
