Ahmed Al Anqari, Chief Executive Officer of Salam, discusses how the company’s expanding Research & Innovation Centres are nurturing AI, cloud, and cybersecurity talent while strengthening industry-academia collaboration in support of Saudi Vision 2030.
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its transformation into a global digital economy, placing innovation, artificial intelligence, and home-grown talent at the centre of its Vision 2030 ambitions. Continued investment in research, digital infrastructure, and advanced technologies is creating stronger links between academia, industry, and technology leaders to develop the next generation of innovators and accelerate the Kingdom’s knowledge-based economy.
Ahmed Al Anqari, Chief Executive Officer of Salam, discusses how the company’s new Research & Innovation Centre in Al Ahsa builds on the success of its Riyadh facility to strengthen industry-academia collaboration, nurture expertise in AI, cloud and cybersecurity, and empower Saudi talent to develop globally competitive innovations. He also outlines Salam’s long-term vision for expanding its innovation ecosystem and supporting Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a regional digital innovation powerhouse.
Interview Excerpts:
What strategic gap in Saudi Arabia’s innovation landscape does Salam’s new Research & Innovation Centre in Al Ahsa aim to address?
The strategic opportunity is not a shortage of talent; Saudi Arabia has an ambitious and capable generation of young innovators. The challenge is ensuring that this talent develops in close alignment with the evolving needs of the digital economy. Salam’s Research & Innovation Centre in Al Ahsa serves as a bridge between academia and industry, providing students and aspiring innovators with practical exposure, applied research opportunities, and direct engagement with real business challenges. By strengthening this connection, the centre helps accelerate the development of future-ready digital capabilities while contributing to a more innovation-driven economy in line with Saudi Arabia’s long-term ambitions.
Following the success of the Riyadh center, what key lessons have shaped the vision and priorities for the Al Ahsa facility?
The success of our Riyadh Research and Innovation Center reinforced an important belief: meaningful innovation thrives when talent is given the right environment, the right tools, and the opportunity to solve real-world challenges. Over the past two years, the center has demonstrated the value of this approach through tangible outcomes, including training more than 1,300 participants, earning international recognition for trainee-led innovations, and supporting projects that progressed to incubation to address real-world challenges in areas such as healthcare, environmental monitoring, and accessibility. These achievements validated our model and provided valuable insights into how innovation can be nurtured through the integration of learning, applied research, and hands-on development. That experience shaped our vision for Al Ahsa. Rather than simply replicating the first center, we wanted to expand our impact by extending opportunities to a new region and strengthening collaboration with local academic institutions. The Al Ahsa facility reflects our long-term commitment to building a sustainable innovation ecosystem that develops national talent, supports research and applied innovation, and contributes to Saudi Arabia’s digital future.
“This expansion is not about opening another facility; it is about investing in people, enabling innovation across the Kingdom, and creating lasting value for the communities we serve.”
How will the new center strengthen collaboration between academia, industry and technology partners to accelerate innovation and digital skills development?
Innovation is most effective when education, industry and the wider innovation ecosystem work together. The Research & Innovation Centre was established to create that connection. Through our partnership with TVTC, students complement their academic education with practical experience and applied projects that reflect real industry needs. By bringing together education, innovation and industry, the centre helps develop future-ready digital skills, encourages knowledge exchange and supports the transformation of ideas into practical solutions. This collaborative model not only enhances talent development but also contributes to building a stronger and more sustainable innovation ecosystem in Saudi Arabia.
AI, cloud and cybersecurity are among the center’s priority areas, where do you see the greatest opportunities for Saudi talent to create globally competitive innovations?
Saudi Arabia’s designation of 2026 as the Year of AI signals extraordinary commitment to this field, and the Kingdom’s ranking of 14th in the 2025 Global AI Index, leading the Arab world in AI model development, demonstrates that local talent is already producing globally relevant work. The greatest opportunities lie at the intersection of AI with practical, societal challenges. The Riyadh center’s track record offers compelling evidence: trainees developed innovations in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and solutions improving quality of life for people with disabilities, areas where Saudi innovations can address both local needs and global markets. With government spending on emerging technologies increasing by over 56 percent in 2024 and AI companies in the Kingdom securing $9.1 billion in funding, the ecosystem is primed to support ambitious projects.
“The telecommunications sector itself presents rich opportunities, as AI is enabling more intelligent network management, predictive maintenance capabilities, and enhanced security monitoring across complex infrastructure environments.”
Looking ahead, how does Salam envision its expanding network of Research & Innovation Centers contributing to Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s ambition to become a regional digital innovation powerhouse?
We see these centres as long-term investments in Saudi Arabia’s innovation capacity. Our ambition is to build a nationwide network that connects education, innovation and industry, creating an environment where talent can develop the skills, experience and mindset needed to lead the digital economy. By expanding this model across the Kingdom, we aim to strengthen the national innovation ecosystem, accelerate the development of future-ready talent, and support applied innovation that delivers real economic and societal value. Ultimately, this contributes to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional leader in digital innovation.
Source: Tahawul Tech