Arab News, Saturday, Dec 25, 2021 | Jumada Al-Uola 20, 1443
Saudi Arabia prepares 100 plants for the fourth industrial revolution
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia is preparing 100
plants to become compatible with the applications of the Fourth Industrial
Revolution, better known as 4IR, as the Kingdom seeks to modernize its
industrial sectors to benefit from the potential opportunities that the 4IR
could offer.
Under the National Productivity Program, the Saudi Authority for Industrial
Cities and Technology Zones, or MODON, will target 20 plants which will form the
roadmap for the digital and industrial transformation of the remaining plants,
Saudi Press Agency reported, citing MODON's CEO Khaled Al Salem. The plants will
be identified based on their readiness for 4IR, he added.
Advanced technology from 4IR is expected to generate around SR1 trillion for the
Saudi economy in new revenue streams, Minister of Communications and Information
Technology Abdullah Alsawaha said in July. The Kingdom's economy will get
a boost from robotics, artificial intelligence, and wireless production models
as it pushes for smarter cities and infrastructure, he added.
The impact of the 4IR is expected to be massive, with non-oil gross domestic
product anticipated to increase by more than 4 percent from 2017 to 2030,
Abdullah Alghamdi, the president of Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence
Authority (SDAIA) said in July.
Saudi Arabia launched a Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in July in
Riyadh in partnership with the World Economic Forum.
Al Salem's comments were made during the inauguration of Saudi Arabia’s minister
of industry and mineral resources, Bandar Alkhorayef, on Thursday to a number of
new projects in the Dammam Second Industrial City.
The new projects include the launch of ready-made industrial factories,
infrastructure sites, ports, facilities and logistics services located in the
industrial city.
By supporting small to medium sized businesses in industrial areas, these
projects are expected to strengthen the role of Saudi women and increase their
investments in the sector, Al Salem, said.
Founded in 2001, the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones,
or MODON, has been developing industrial lands with integrated services.
Today, it oversees 36 existing and under development industrial cities in
various regions of Saudi Arabia and supervises private industrial complexes and
cities.