By Alice Chambers |
Microsoft has announced plans to help a further three million people in Saudi Arabia gain AI skills by 2030.
The initiative will provide free learning tools and recognised certifications to more than 500,000 educators across the Kingdom, enabling them to teach AI skills to students and local communities.
The announcement builds on an ongoing partnership between Microsoft and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT). In recent years, the collaboration has already reached more than one million people through AI, cloud and data training programmes. Of those, more than 800,000 have successfully completed their courses.
The next phase of the partnership will centre on a new programme called Microsoft Elevate for Educators, designed to equip teachers with the knowledge and resources they need to deliver AI education at scale.
“This strategic partnership strengthens our national talent pool, empowering our growing technology force and expanding opportunities for women in high-demand AI roles,” said Abdullah Alswaha, minister at MCIT.
The plans were unveiled during the Microsoft AI Riyadh Tour, an event focused on the Kingdom’s growing role in AI.
MCIT’s Abdullah Alswaha and Microsoft’s Brad Smith
Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, said investing in people is just as important as investing in technology.
“Countries that lead in AI are those that invest not only in technology, but in people,” he said. “Saudi Arabia’s AI ambitions are underpinned by a clear focus on skills, trust and long-term impact. By combining trusted cloud infrastructure with large-scale skilling efforts, we are supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals and helping build an AI-ready workforce that can turn AI innovation into productivity, economic growth and lasting national advantage.”
The expanded training programme forms part of Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to diversify the economy and position the country as a global technology leader.