DHAHRAN —Saudi Aramco and IBM, enlisted in New York bourse, announced plans that they are determined to give priority to establish a global center for digital innovation in the Kingdom.

This cooperation aims at supporting economic growth in the Kingdom through swiftly-developing technologies, including AI, big data and computing analysis in a number of fields which include circular economy, data science, supply chains, sustainability, cyber security and digitalization.

Commenting on the issue, Aramco Senior Deputy President for Technical Services Ahmed Al-Saadi said that the strategic cooperation between Saudi Aramco and IBM in the field of research and development and expertise exchanges represents a start-up platform to achieve qualitative leaps and potential jumps in the energy sector.

This will have great impact on the level of national and international industry, he added, noting that through such cooperation Aramco seeks to benefit from the advanced developments in the field of computing in what contributes to boost economic growth and empower digital innovation and environmental sustainability.

He said Saudi Aramco is considered the world’s leading conglomerate in the field of energy and chemicals which supports sustainable and diversified expansion for the Saudi economy and contributes to the establishment of a vibrant, sustainable and globally- competing Saudi energy sector.

For his part, Director General of IBM Middle East and Africa regional office Saad Toma said that the strategic cooperation with Saudi Aramco aims at enhancing its determination to become part of the Kingdom’s future through complying with the Kingdom’s ambitious vision in the field of digital economy.

He hoped that such cooperation would help develop local skills and efficiencies with knowledge and necessary experience to build this vision for the future through using IBM’s technologies and experiences.

Within such plans, the two companies of Saudi Aramco and IBM will cooperate to identify the potential opportunities and apply the technologies to face the sustainability challenges for Saudi Aramco as well as for the energy sector.

The aim of that is to accelerate exploration of solutions of adapting with climate by using hybrid cloud technologies and AI and other emerging technologies to assist reduce carbon emissions and confront the impacts of climate changes to match with the Kingdom’s vision for sustainability.

This new cooperation aims to reach a final agreement between the two veteran partners. — SPA