RIYADH, Feb 12 (KUNA) -- Saudi Arabia's Aramco, one of the world's leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, and Microsoft have inked a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help the company explore a series of digital initiatives designed to accelerate industrial artificial intelligence (AI) adoption.
The company also seeks to enhance digital capabilities, strengthen workforce development in Saudi Arabia and support its broader digital transformation, Aramco said in a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Thursday.
In addition, Aramco aims to explore a range of AI driven industrial solutions built on Microsoft Azure in a manner that helps improve operational efficiency, elevate global competitiveness, and establish new models for technology enabled energy and industrial systems, it added.
Ahmad Al Khowaiter, Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation, said the company seeks to lead energy sector's digital transformation by creating a secure, intelligent, and collaborative digital ecosystem. "We seek to further scale cutting-edge digital and AI solutions in that sector to achieve efficiency and innovation - without compromising the highest standards of security and governance," he noted.
Meanwhile, Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, said: "This marks the next step in our long-standing collaboration with Aramco, exploring how industrial AI can move from pilots into core operations to improve efficiency and resilience at scale. "Our focus is on building strong foundations - sovereign-ready digital infrastructure, trusted governance, and the skills needed for responsible industrial AI adoption," he added, according to Aramco's website. (end) as.hm