Aramco’s AI Corridor and Autonomous Systems Academy was organized by our Digital Transformation Office with Caltech, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and AI startup Beyond Limits.

Digital Transformation: Academy Helps Pave the Way for Aramco’s Global AI Corridor
Eighteen Aramco professionals were recognized by president and CEO Amin Nasser after completing a four-week program at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) with top researchers in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The goal of the workshop is to prepare for the creation of Aramco’s Global AI Corridor. (Photo: Moayed A. Alqattan/MPD)

Last week, 18 Aramco professionals were recognized by president and CEO Amin Nasser after completing a four-week program at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) with top researchers in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

The program, Aramco’s AI Corridor and Autonomous Systems Academy, was organized by Aramco’s Digital Transformation Office with Caltech, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and AI startup Beyond Limits.

The customized certificate program demonstrates the company’s commitment to building the Aramco Global AI Corridor, which pairs local talent with global expertise. The AI Corridor is a partnership between Aramco and private industry to create a world leading AI tech hub in Saudi Arabia that can address complex challenges across industries and the world.

The Academy

“The academy underscores the importance we place on the talent of our people in meeting the challenges of the future, our commitment to becoming the leading digital energy company, and support for the energy transition, and sustainability,” said senior vice president of Digital and Information Technology, Nabil A. Nuaim.

“We at Caltech were very impressed with the level of effort and talent that Aramco’s professionals brought to the program,” said Rick Hefner, executive director for the Caltech Center for Technology and Management Education. “It was rewarding to see such strong academic and corporate collaboration in applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to real-world scenarios.”

Participants in the academy were drawn from organizations throughout the company and worked together to adapt theoretical concepts into solutions for company and industry challenges.

Digital Transformation: Academy Helps Pave the Way for Aramco’s Global AI Corridor
The eighteen professionals who recently completed a four-week program designed to prepare for the creation of Aramco's Global AI Corridor pose with president and CEO Amin Nasser in the Main Administration Building in Dhahran.

The Program

The program covered AI and machine learning concepts, natural language processing, computer vision, deep reinforcement learning, robotics, and automated machine learning. It also focused on AI case studies in five key domains: climate, project management, autonomous systems, supply chain, and finance.

Aramco systems analyst Mohammad K. Allubli spoke on behalf of the participants at a ceremony honoring the program’s completion: “Let me say how privileged we felt to be selected as part of this program. It was the opportunity of a lifetime to learn from some of the most talented people in AI, machine learning, and autonomous systems.”

“It’s great to have Aramco’s full support in building the capability of its workforce with technology as well as empowering its people to meet their full potential,” said Nayef S. Otaibi, vice president of Digital Transformation and chief digital officer.

— The Arabian Sun: February 08, 2023