Saudi Arabian energy giant Aramco and Saudi-based Advanced Electronic Company (AEC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to help promote the localisation of digital businesses in the kingdom, as reported by our sister title Oil & Gas Middle East.
AEC, a Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) company, and Aramco said that the MoU would support efforts to enable the internet of things, computing and communication, drones, robotics, and semiconductors in Saudi Arabia.
“This partnership aims to help us to develop technologies and local talent as we work with leading technology providers to add value to the company and wider economy,” Ahmad Al Sa’adi, Aramco SVP Technical Services, said in a statement.
The announcement comes as Aramco pursues several business digitalisation programmes under its industrial investment program, Aramco Namaat. The program is seeking to increase local digital growth, increase GDP, create jobs, and improve Aramco’s own efficiencies.
“The cooperation with Aramco is expected to contribute to the efficiency and value of the supply chains in the industrial digital businesses, especially at the engineering, manufacturing, and services level, across many systems and products used in the ICT, security, and energy sectors,” Ziad Al-Musallam, AEC president and CEO, added.
The news is in line with previous announcements from the Saudi energy giant. Earlier in December, Aramco announced that it had signed five agreements with French companies on a variety of projects.
The agreements included an announcement between Aramco and French renewable energy technology firm Gaussin to establish a modern manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia focused on on-road and off-road hydrogen powered vehicles.
“Such collaboration helps us to advance economic growth in the kingdom as part of the Namaat industrial investment program and takes us a step closer to our shared vision of a more sustainable future,” he added.
Aramco also announced MoUs with French companies Air Liquide, on low carbon hydrogen and ammonia production, and an additional agreement on carbon capture & sequestration (CCS); Alteia, on developing advanced artificial intelligence geospatial imagery interpretation and processing in the kingdom; and Axens, on Saudi-based manufacturing and maintenance services of furnaces and fired heaters.
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