The Gulf states of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have expressed interest in becoming leaders in artificial intelligence (AI), spending millions of dollars in the process.
According to the Financial Times, the two countries are reportedly spending big on buying high-end chips to develop advanced AI systems.of report Noted that Saudi Arabia has reportedly placed an order for 3,000 units of NVIDIA products (Nasdaq: Nevada) latest chip, UAE matches Saudi Arabia order.
The price per chip is about $40,000, making the entire purchase cost $120 million for Saudi Arabia, which is looking to increase its cash on chip. Saudi Arabia is at an advanced stage of supercomputer development, with its eye on its own creation of large-scale language models (LLMs) for generative AI.
Both oil producers are reportedly facilitating purchases through state-owned enterprises, with Saudi Arabia ordering through the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust).
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are eager to establish their own AI models, independent of US-based OpenAI and Google, as geopolitics continue to have a significant impact on their economies.Nasdaq: Google) offerings.
“The UAE has made the decision that it does not want to own and control its own computing power and human resources, have its own platform and not depend on China or the United States,” said a Financial Times official. “The point is they have the capital and energy resources to do it, and they are also attracting the best talent in the world.”
The UAE’s foray into AI 2017, after establishing the Ministry of AI to establish a regulatory framework for innovative technologies. Six years later, the UAE’s AI ecosystem has grown exponentially with the launch of open source AI models.
“Considering the resources used, we were very impressed with the model,” said one AI expert. “For a while it was one of the best models in the open source world.”
Both countries are committed to developing innovative technologies, and the UAE is nudging its quest to become the world’s digital currency capital. Several global digital asset service providers have flocked to Dubai to set up shops, boosted by regulatory clarity and a positive attitude from the government.
Ethical concerns about the AI rush
The AI arms race by the Gulf countries has raised concerns among critics that AI development in both countries does not comply with ethical guidelines. They point to Saudi Arabia and the UAE as absolute monarchies with a history of human rights violations.
“Human rights defenders and journalists are often targets of government repression.” [in UAE and Saudi Arabia],” Said Commentator Ivana McGowan, director of the European office of the Center for Democracy and Technology in Brussels, said: “Combine this with the fact that we know how AI can exert discriminatory influence or be used to enhance illegal surveillance. It’s an idea.”
Consumer groups around the world are sounding the alarm about privacy concerns arising from the use of AI, while AI developers are calling for “reasonable” regulation to foster innovation.
Watch: BSV in the Middle East
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