Saudi Arabia’s National Digitization Unit (NDU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GE (NYSE: GE) to drive digital industrial diversification and the application of innovative business models, supporting Saudi youth in becoming key partners in progressing the digital transformation of the Kingdom.
Signed by Deemah Alyahya, Acting CEO of the NDU and Hisham Al Bahkali, President & CEO, GE Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, on the sidelines of the MISK Global Forum in Riyadh, the agreement will see GE train Saudi youth on ideas and concepts relating to the ‘Future of Work,’ empowering them with the advanced skills needed in digital and software development.
Deemah Alyahya said: “Digital transformation is a key driver of Saudi Vision 2030, covering all sectors and leveraging the power of big data and advanced analytics to achieve increased efficiency and productivity. Tech-savvy Saudi youth play a defining role in achieving this vision. At the National Digitization Unit, we focus on promoting our national talent and helping build innovative digital business models that will establish Saudi Arabia as a pioneering digital nation.”
Through the MoU, NDU and GE will work towards supporting the diversification and digitization of emerging industries. This will be accomplished through collaborating with customers in critical industries such as healthcare, water and mining to conduct assessments, define areas for improvement, and identify digital solutions to move transformation forward. The partners will leverage GE’s digital applications such as Asset Performance Management (APM) which tracks and optimizes assets, and ServiceMax which allows field service engineers’ time to be utilized more efficiently. The partnership will focus on community- based digital solutions in sectors that have been identified for transformation under Saudi Vision 2030.
Concurrently, GE will host workshops shaped around the ‘Future of Work,’ GE’s framework for the skills of the future that focuses on advanced manufacturing, the Industrial Internet of Things, and open innovation. GE’s digital experts in the Industrial Internet of Things will share their knowledge to help boost industrial interconnectivity, and create strategic collaborations with Saudi youth.
Hisham Al Bahkali said: “The national digital vision of Saudi Arabia is a pioneering step in accelerating the Kingdom’s transformation into a digital economy. As an industrial technology company that now draws on digitization to support our partners in the Kingdom, we see this MoU as a strong platform to share our learnings and resources, especially with the Saudi youth. With a focus on digital industrial diversification, innovation, and talent development, we will work with NDU to create a thriving digital ecosystem in the Kingdom that creates high quality jobs for youth, and supports the development of a high-value supply chain led by young Saudi entrepreneurs.”
The first activity under this MOU will happen during the MISK Global Forum. The ‘Skills Garage’ workshop, hosted by Rania Rostom, Chief Innovation Officer, GE MENAT, focuses on the Industrial Internet of Things, highlighting the importance of sensors, data and analysis to connect critical machines in energy, healthcare, aviation and manufacturing. The interactive, hands-on event explores the industrial side of digital transformation and enables participants to work with the technologies that will take them into the digital industrial era. It also focused on real skills development in electronics, and an introduction to coding.
Ali Saleh, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, GE Digital Middle East, Africa & Turkey said, “GE Digital supports the digital transformation of industry in the Kingdom and around the world through the Industrial Internet of Things. Our digital applications such as Asset Performance Management (APM), or ServiceMax are purpose-build for industry. Crucially, behind the applications is Predix, our application development platform for the Industrial Internet that was purpose-built to meet the scale, complexity, speed and security requirements of industry. Leveraging these leading digital industrial solutions will enable GE and NDU to together help partners to optimize resources, reduce unexpected downtime, and maximize efficiency, effectively bringing industry into the digital future.”
GE has over 80 years of partnership in the Kingdom with over 4,000 employees, including Baker Hughes, a GE company. With nearly 50 percent of the talent in highly skilled engineering and technology roles. GE has built an advanced industrial ecosystem that includes a growing local supply chain, with significant partnerships and investments in support of the Kingdom in its economic diversification goals, including building localized manufacturing competencies.