Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Forge AI and IoT Alliance for Regional Tech Growth

Malaz Madani

Last updated 9-07-2025

3 min

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have signed an agreement to enhance AI and IoT collaboration.

This partnership aims to advance education, training, and ethical governance in the Gulf region.

The agreement aligns with both countries' Vision 2030 ambitions for technological leadership.

Officials from both countries emphasize a robust and ethical regulatory framework.

Challenges in tech governance are acknowledged, but the cooperation holds promise for innovation.

There's been an interesting development for the tech ecosystem in the Gulf region—Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have just inked a strategic cooperation agreement to bolster their collaboration around artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT). The deal was signed earlier this week in Riyadh between the Kuwaiti Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) Association and the Saudi Artificial Intelligence Governance Association (AIGA). It's a partnership that seems spot on when one considers the impact these technologies are having globally.

Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah, who heads Kuwait's AIoT Association, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that this cooperation will help push forward AI and IoT education and training throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. It's encouraging, honestly, seeing regional countries working together rather than going it alone. Sheikh Mohammad hopes the agreement will pave the way not only for technological advancements but also for unified ethical governance standards. Given the rapid growth of AI, having an agreed set of guidelines sounds like a sensible move to me.

On the Saudi side, Dr. Dhabia Al-Buainain, Chairwoman of AIGA, seemed cautiously optimistic, calling the agreement an essential part of "creating a robust and ethical regulatory environment." She also highlighted how this move is very much in line with both Saudi Vision 2030 and Kuwait's Vision 2030, aiming for shared regional ambitions and robust tech leadership. And believe it or not, we at Arageek regularly hear similar positive sentiments from start-ups looking for clear government frameworks to help them innovate safely and swiftly. So, I'm personally all for these regional partnerships.

If we're honest though, integrating vastly different tech governance ideas from countries isn't always a walk in the park—it can frankly be a bit of a faff—but it sounds like both these associations are seriously committed. At the signing ceremony, key officials from both sides were present, including Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah, Secretary Dr. Ayed Salman, and board member Abdulaziz Al-Barjas from Kuwait. Representing Saudi Arabia, alongside Dr. Al-Buainain, was Eng. Majed Al-Otaibi, with Raed Al-Falih, CEO of the Business Development Sector at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), also in attendance.

The Kuwaiti AIoT Association itself was established through Ministerial Resolution No. 193 of 2023, aiming to boost public awarness—hold on, I mean awareness, of course—about AI and IoT issues, and encourage scientific research and practical advancement through collaboration, seminars, and institutional networking.

While there's no getting around how challenging tech regulation in AI and IoT can be—balancing solid innovation with security safeguards—initiatives like this seem promising. I reckon it'll be fascinating to see how these collaborations shape innovation in the region over the next few years.

🚀 Got exciting news to share?

If you're a startup founder, VC, or PR agency with big updates—funding rounds, product launches 📢, or company milestones 🎉 — AraGeek English wants to hear from you!