KAUST Invests in Supporting Artificial Intelligence Research in Saudi Arabia in Collaboration with Google

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has launched its investment project to support artificial intelligence research in Saudi Arabia in cooperation with Google; by providing research grants worth $100,000 to artificial intelligence researchers from the university’s Department of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering.

The grants aim to advance research in the field of machine learning, particularly in the use of large generative language models (LLMs), allowing grant recipients to advance their research in topics including health, cross-cultural language understanding, sustainability, privacy, and education.

“Through such partnerships, we are focusing on quality talent,” said Professor Gianluca Setti, Head of the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Department at KAUST. “The grants will enable faculty to develop large language models in areas that can have a huge societal impact.”

The launch of the scholarships coincides with KAUST’s announcement of the establishment of its new Center of Excellence for Generative AI, which works to accelerate excellence in generative AI research and development in Saudi Arabia by creating general-purpose generative AI models and training best practices that feed into specialized solutions for Saudi R&D and innovation priorities.

Professor Jürgen Schmidhuber, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Department and Professor of the Computer Science Program at KAUST, noted that the grants underscore Google’s interest in world-class AI research at KAUST, and that AI faculty members are exploring leading areas in machine learning and visual computing, specifically computer graphics and imaging.

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is ranked 17th globally in the CSRankings, a ranking that measures the output of computer science departments in the most prestigious scientific publications between 2014-2024 in the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and visual computing (specifically computer vision, computer graphics, and analytical visualization).

Sarah Al-Husseini, Head of Public Policy at Google in Saudi Arabia, said that launching scientific grants enables researchers and local institutions to provide solutions for users, companies and governments in light of the development of artificial intelligence. She pointed out that by investing in research with KAUST, Google hopes to continue to enhance achievements in the field of multilingual machine learning and models, which will benefit the region and the world as a whole, which enhances Google’s efforts to develop artificial intelligence research around the world.