The training, announced on July 6, brings together the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, known as Mawhiba, and Huawei as Saudi Arabia expands its pipeline of students capable of working across artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data and telecommunications. The initiative forms part of a wider partnership that aims to train 500 beneficiaries in advanced technology fields.
Participants are being exposed to a mix of theoretical instruction and practical exercises, with the programme structured around real-world AI applications, global technology practices and workplace-based learning. The Shenzhen placement gives students direct access to one of Huawei’s main innovation centres, where they are expected to study how artificial intelligence tools are developed, deployed and integrated into digital infrastructure.
The programme covers core areas including AI fundamentals, machine learning, deep learning, foundation models and AI development tools. Its practical component is intended to help students move beyond classroom-level understanding into applied problem-solving, particularly in fields where AI systems are increasingly tied to business operations, public services and industrial automation.
Mawhiba’s role reflects its long-standing mandate to identify and support gifted students, while Huawei’s participation gives the programme an international industry dimension. The partnership is aimed at matching academic talent with technologies that are shaping labour-market demand, especially as Saudi Arabia increases investment in data centres, digital government, smart cities and automation.
The Shenzhen cohort follows the launch of the first joint Mawhiba-Huawei training track for Saudi university students in China. The programme is being presented as both a skills initiative and an international exposure opportunity, giving participants familiarity with advanced technology ecosystems outside the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has placed AI capacity-building at the centre of its digital transformation agenda. The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority has been expanding training schemes for students, professionals and government leaders as part of efforts to create a national workforce capable of supporting data-driven economic diversification.
A separate programme at the authority’s headquarters in Riyadh began with 215 male and female students from 28 universities, giving participants training in data, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. That initiative was designed to connect academic knowledge with practical experience in computer science, data science and AI, while aligning university outcomes with labour-market needs.
The scale of national AI training has grown sharply. More than 779,000 citizens have been trained through data and AI initiatives, including 9,775 specialists and 260 scientists and experts. More than 80 government leaders have also received training focused on the design and implementation of data and AI strategies.
The Mawhiba-Huawei programme adds a private-sector and cross-border layer to that domestic training push. For students, the China placement offers exposure to applied AI in a corporate setting. For policymakers, it supports an effort to create a wider base of young specialists who can work with global platforms while contributing to local technology goals.
Saudi Arabia’s AI strategy has increasingly focused on building human capital alongside infrastructure. The country has moved to strengthen data governance, support Arabic AI models, expand cloud capacity and encourage the adoption of emerging technologies across education, healthcare, finance, energy and government services.
The emphasis on training also reflects a growing recognition that AI adoption depends on more than hardware and software. Surveys and academic studies on generative AI use in Saudi Arabia show strong public engagement with AI tools, but also uneven technical understanding and concerns over privacy, misinformation, trust and responsible use. Structured training is therefore being treated as a way to improve both competence and confidence.
For universities, the programme underlines the pressure to update curricula as AI changes entry-level skill expectations. Employers in technology, finance, logistics and energy are increasingly looking for graduates who understand data handling, model behaviour, automation workflows and ethical safeguards. Programmes that combine classroom instruction with industry exposure are seen as a route to narrowing that gap.
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