Saudi Firms Unveil First Industry-Backed AI Diploma

Riyadh — DataVolt, in partnership with the Energy & Water Academy and Innovatics, has inaugurated the Kingdom’s first industry-integrated National Diploma in Data Science and AI, embedding real-world projects into foundational training for Saudi talent.

The diploma carries full approval from the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation and College of Excellence, and is granted endorsement by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology alongside support from the Human Resources Development Fund. Students selected for the programme will work collaboratively with sponsoring industry partners—such as DataVolt—on Proof of Concept AI applications tied to live business challenges.

DataVolt will sponsor five students in the first cohort and guarantee employment for them upon graduation, assigning them to roles in the company’s data centre operations and its developing AI factory campus in Oxagon. The programme aims to enrol up to 100 students beginning November 2025, with half of the cohort being women.

Rajit Nanda, Chief Executive Officer of DataVolt, stated that “this diploma demonstrates our commitment to Vision 2030” by building both the physical infrastructure and human capacity needed for Saudi Arabia to compete in the global AI economy. Innovatics CEO Salwa Smaoui framed the initiative as “a strategic workforce programme” ensuring graduates are ready to contribute from day one in cutting-edge AI projects, while Tariq Alshamrani, CEO of EWA, emphasised the collaborative aim to train the next wave of data scientists and AI practitioners.

The diploma aligns closely with Saudi Arabia’s National Strategy for Data & AI, which calls for training 20,000 AI specialists over the next five years to narrow the country’s talent gap. With market forecasts estimating that AI could contribute up to US$320 billion to the Middle Eastern economy by 2030, the initiative is seen as a move to anchor the Kingdom as a regional AI hub.

Unlike traditional academic programmes, this diploma combines lectures with applied project work in industry settings. Students will engage in real business challenges, linking learning directly to enterprise needs. Companies beyond DataVolt are being invited to co-sponsor students and host projects, broadening industry participation and ensuring wide applicability across sectors.