Around 70% of 96 strategic goals under Vision 2030 are related to data and AI. - The growing investment toward smart cities in Saudi Arabia results in massively increasing adoption of AI solutions along with 5G and software, such as predictive analytics. In 2021, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced plans to build The Line, a 105-mile-long belt of hyper-connected communities in the kingdom's northeast that will feature no cars, no streets, and carbon emissions but will have smart infrastructure costing up to USD 200 billion.

Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi is the newly appointed head of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority. The appointment was made in one of several royal decrees issued by King Salman. Amongst the other decrees, Saleh Al-Othaim was made Al-Ghamdi's deputy. Al-Ghamdi had previously served as head of the National Information Center since August. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in information systems from King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh in 1991.