RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has designated 2026 as the Year of Artificial Intelligence, underscoring the Kingdom’s accelerating push to position itself as a global hub for advanced technologies.The decision was approved by the Saudi Council of Ministers under the patronage of Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, who also serves as chairman of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority.The designation reflects Saudi Arabia’s growing momentum in the AI sector, where companies operating in the Kingdom have secured about $9.1 billion in funding as part of the country’s broader Saudi Vision 2030 strategy.Established in 2019, SDAIA has led the Kingdom’s National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence, built around six pillars: ambition, competencies, policies, investment, innovation and ecosystem development.These efforts have helped Saudi Arabia rank 14th globally in the 2025 Global AI Index while maintaining a leading position in the Arab world in AI model development.The Kingdom also became the first Arab nation to join the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence and hosts the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics in Riyadh, a center supported by UNESCO.Government investment in emerging technologies has also accelerated, with spending rising by more than 56 percent in 2024.Major infrastructure projects supporting the sector include the launch of the Shaheen III supercomputer and the Hexagon Data Center, the world’s largest government data center with a capacity of 480 megawatts. The Kingdom has also established a National Data Lake integrating more than 430 government systems.Human capital development remains a central pillar of the strategy, with more than 11,000 specialists trained in AI-related fields and the SAMAI initiative reaching more than one million participants.Meanwhile, SDAIA launched the official visual identity for the Year of Artificial Intelligence 2026.The logo combines the palm tree — a national symbol representing the Kingdom’s heritage, generosity and stability — with the letters “AI,” symbolizing the technological dimension driving Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation.Green was chosen to reflect the color of the Saudi flag and national identity, while blue represents digital technologies and advanced innovation.The Arabic typography used in the design is inspired by electronic circuit patterns, linking Arabic culture with the evolving digital landscape.SDAIA said the logo will serve as a unified visual identity for initiatives, programs and events organized by government, private and non-profit sectors throughout 2026 to highlight the Kingdom’s integrated national efforts in artificial intelligence.