Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)

Saudi government authority for data and AI, created by royal decree in August 2019 and linked to the Prime Minister. It leads the national data and AI strategy and supervised the Personal Data Protection Law.

Industry: Data and artificial intelligence regulation | Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Founded: 2019

About Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, known as SDAIA, is the Saudi government body responsible for data and artificial intelligence policy and operations. It was created by royal decree on 30 August 2019, is headquartered in Riyadh and is linked directly to the Prime Minister. Saudipedia describes it as an independent governmental entity covering the operation, innovation and research aspects of the data, AI and big data sectors, and the authority was set up to support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Three bodies sit under the authority: the National Center for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), the National Data Management Office (NDMO) and the National Information Center (NIC). The NDMO sets data governance policies and standards and regulates adherence to them. The NCAI handles AI research and solution development, advises the government on AI strategy and works on education and awareness. The NIC, a long-established entity that moved from Ministry of Interior supervision when SDAIA was formed, runs Deem, the government cloud used by public-sector bodies. SDAIA is the designated authority for supervising the Personal Data Protection Law, which was approved by Royal Decree M/19 in September 2021 and enforced from 14 September 2023. The authority also leads the National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence. Its National Data Bank programme has been reported to have consolidated more than 150 government datasets, and a 2026 report said the programme has lowered the cost of data exchange between government entities. In language models, SDAIA developed ALLaM, an Arabic-language model. One report said more than 385 billion Arabic words had been collected to train it, including 55 billion gathered in a single year. Commercial deployment of ALLaM has moved to HUMAIN, the PIF-backed AI company launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in May 2025, while the NCAI keeps responsibility for research. Middle East AI News reported that SDAIA has trained 779,000 people in data and AI skills. In March 2026, after the Cabinet designated 2026 the Year of Artificial Intelligence in Saudi Arabia, SDAIA released the official logo for the year. The authority's president, Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, welcomed the decision, saying it reflects the Crown Prince's vision for the Kingdom's standing in advanced technologies. SDAIA announced that the fourth Global AI Summit would be held in Riyadh from 15 to 17 September 2026, and Al-Ghamdi said hosting it underscores the authority's efforts to raise Saudi Arabia in global AI rankings.

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