DAVOS: Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has enabled the Kingdom to “leapfrog other countries,” creating a robust ecosystem that aligns with Intel’s digital transformation strategy, the company’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer told Arab News.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Christoph Schell emphasized the Kingdom’s commitment to growth and its importance as a key market for Intel, building on a 20-year legacy of collaboration.

“Having lived for eight years in the Middle East, I know that once you define a plan, and you work that plan, that plan will also work out,” Schell said. “So there’s a lot of trust that this vision will become reality.”

Schell, who previously served as HP’s general manager for the Middle East, described the region — and Saudi Arabia specifically — as being at an “exciting historical moment” in terms of technology, innovation and business, positioning the Kingdom as a “crucial market in size and influence.”

Intel has maintained a strong presence in Saudi Arabia for more than two decades, with its innovation and priorities evolving in response to the Kingdom’s changing needs.

“There’s a very long legacy that the Kingdom has of engaging with Intel and for the population of Saudi Arabia to actually use Intel in their daily lives. That’s true on the consumer side, but that’s also true for the large corporations,” Schell said.

“What I see happening for the first time is that the Saudi customers have been, over these 20 years of engagement, buying monolithic products that Intel had to offer. I think this industry is changing as such that we are talking more and more about custom solutions, custom chips, and these are the first (type of) engagements that we have with Saudi customers now, cross-customization.”

He attributed this shift to significant investments in digital infrastructure and the growing tech sophistication of Saudi consumers and businesses.

“I see Saudi not just consuming technology that is off the shelf, but to demand technology that is best in the very specific requirements that you have,” he said.

Highlighting examples, Schell said that Saudi Arabia’s extreme temperatures had led to customized design requests for products operating in harsh conditions, such as on oil platforms and in peak summer heat.

“That requires different design principles across different products. And that’s the opportunity for us,” he said.

In January 2024, Intel announced a partnership with Aramco Digital to establish Saudi Arabia’s first Open RAN (radio access network) development center. Open RAN technology, which allows multiple service providers to deliver services over the same network infrastructure, is expected to accelerate innovation and drive the Kingdom’s digital transformation in line with Vision 2030.

“If you want to scale a data center, if you want to grow a data center, if you want to grow a cloud operation, getting access to power is super important,” he said.

“Obviously the Kingdom has a lot of power, but on the other hand, it is also demanding for that power to be delivered in the most efficient way, and for the computer to be cognizant of power not being there in abundance, but to be managed in a way that is responsible.”

Schell argued that this evolution is a consequence of the cultural and societal shifts in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing the country’s focus on innovation and bridging the digital divide.

“Technologies (are) at the heart of societal development. And I think a lot of the goals that you have as a society is to innovate, is to make sure that there’s no digital divide within the country,” he said.

As part of its vision for the future, Saudi Arabia is prioritizing the development of a robust tech ecosystem by attracting manufacturers, creating jobs and nurturing local talent — a strategy that Schell described as “sustainable.”

“It has a lot to do with education, but I think beyond educating, the ability to design products together, to engineer products together, is something that needs to start, in particular, working together with select universities,” he said.

Schell emphasized the role of AI in shaping the Kingdom’s future, particularly in practical applications such as education and daily life.

“The output that an AI engine delivers is based on the model it uses. And I think what is very important for Saudi Arabia in this context is to have models that have cultural awareness, that have cultural content.”

Drawing on his own experience, Schell highlighted the importance of localization.

“I live in the US right now. I’m German. If I use a US model, a US-centric model, I will get US-centric answers. (While) If I use a Saudi-centric model, I will get Saudi-centric answers.

“This is very important from a culture and from a historic point of view,” he added, stressing the “government’s responsibilities” in fostering an ecosystem that supports culturally relevant AI.
 

DAVOS: The Middle East’s rise as a global aviation hub has been “absolutely incredible” and should be a source of pride, according to Hassan El-Houry, chairman at Menzies Aviation.

Speaking to Arab News recently at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, El-Houry said the region’s aviation growth over the past two decades demonstrates that “the impossible is possible.”

“In 20 years the Middle East has become an absolute hub for aviation. It’s absolutely incredible. It really makes us proud.”

He added: “The Middle East started from a very low base. If you go back 20 years, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Saudi Arabia — they were not transit hubs.

“I remember traveling to London or Europe or East Asia, and in hotels, you’d see four clocks — San Francisco, New York, London and Tokyo. Today, there’s one in the middle: Dubai. Finally, the Middle East is now seen as a hub, and it’s great.”

Looking ahead, he said the projections for the region were positive. “We’re forecasting 300 percent growth over the next 10 years in aviation and almost $200 billion in investment in airports.

“This outpaces any other region. It’s absolutely incredible what we’re going to see over the next five (to) 10 years for the Middle East, particularly the GCC,” he said.

And globally, he said the outlook was similarly bright, while reflecting on the unprecedented challenges the industry faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That shows two things: first, we’ve fully recovered from COVID-19, which is great, and second, it shows the resilience of the aviation sector,” he said.

“We had literally the largest and most impactful crisis, which challenged the aviation sector. We lost a lot of people who worked in aviation — they sought jobs elsewhere, and rightfully so. A lot of investment went elsewhere,” he added.

Despite these setbacks, El-Houry emphasized aviation’s crucial role in the global economy and its ability to connect people. “Governments were asking themselves, why should we invest in aviation when it’s so sensitive to shocks?

“What we can see now is that aviation is resilient and is absolutely critical to the global economy, to domestic economies, for people. Connectivity matters. People want to connect, people want to see each other.

“Just look around here at WEF in Davos — not a single person is wearing a mask. That just shows that people want the human connection, and aviation’s resilience makes that happen,” he said.

While optimistic about global and regional progress, El-Houry expressed some concerns. “One region which has not fully recovered is Africa, which has been struggling for many reasons — debt, inflation, some geopolitical issues, and lack of investment,” he said.

“Africans make up 17 percent of the world’s population but only 2 percent of the world’s travelers, a statistic that has remained unchanged in the past 10 years. I’d love to see Africa bridge that gap and develop.”

He called for greater investment and attention to the continent, highlighting the potential of aviation to unlock economic and social opportunities.

El-Houry concluded with a clear message for world leaders that aviation must be treated as an economic priority. “Aviation is no longer a privilege for the 1 percent. It’s super important for everybody across the socio-economic spectrum.”

“In the past, governments used to look at aviation as another way of taxing the 1 percent. Today, aviation is important for education, for healthcare, for family connections, for trade — everything.

“So, let’s make sure that aviation remains a priority, a pillar of the economy, and super important for economic growth,” he urged.