Microsoft acceleration of AI skilling in Saudi Arabia aims to help 3M by 2030

Microsoft today announced a significant expansion of its AI skilling efforts in Saudi Arabia, building on the scale and impact of work delivered to date in support of Vision 2030 workforce priorities. Announced at the Microsoft AI Tour Riyadh, the company outlined its ambition to help a further three million people across the Kingdom acquire AI skills by 2030, reinforcing its long-term commitment to developing future-ready talent and enabling economic growth at scale.

As part of this effort, Microsoft also announced the launch of Microsoft Elevate for Educators in Saudi Arabia, a new program designed to strengthen AI capability across the education ecosystem. The global community program provides free AI literacy credentials, access to one of the world's largest and most connected professional learning communities for educators and offers capacity building support and resources to organizations in the education ecosystem - enabling teachers and school leaders to integrate AI into teaching and learning in practical, responsible ways.

Within the broader ambition to help three million people acquire AI skills by 2030, Microsoft will focus on providing in-demand credentials to more than 500,000 educators across the Kingdom, alongside targeted initiatives to expand AI learning and skills for women, aligned with Vision 2030 objectives.

Microsoft's AI skilling efforts in Saudi Arabia build on a long-standing partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and a broad national ecosystem to deliver impact at scale. Over the past few years, Microsoft has engaged more than one million people in AI, cloud, and data programs across the Kingdom, with over 800,000 learners completing training, far exceeding initial targets.

This momentum is reinforced by Microsoft's collaboration with the Ministry of Education, including the nationwide deployment of Microsoft 365 across schools and universities. By embedding secure digital and AI tools into everyday teaching and learning, this initiative is helping equip millions of students, educators, and administrators with practical digital and AI capabilities, strengthening the foundation for long-term talent development.

Key national initiatives include the Microsoft AI Academy with Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), which has recorded over one million enrollments, as well as Microsoft's central role in SDAIA's flagship Samai Initiative, where Microsoft provided more than two-thirds of the national AI curriculum that supported learning for over one million Saudis in AI fundamentals - one of the largest digital skilling efforts ever undertaken in the Kingdom.

These efforts also include the upcoming launch of the Microsoft Datacenter Academy, the first of its kind community-focused workforce and development skilling program in the Middle East, and large-scale programs that have supported skills development for 1,000 government employees in a single quarter with Digital Government Authority (DGA), more than 109,000 educators, and thousands of women with future-ready AI skills. Microsoft has also delivered the AI Global Leadership Program in partnership with MCIT, equipping more than 120 senior executives from Saudi's public and private sector with in-depth AI training at Microsoft innovation and experience centers in Amsterdam, Munich and Seattle.

H.E. Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), said: "We thank and welcome Microsoft's expanded commitment to AI skilling in the Kingdom, including its ambition to help three million people acquire AI skills by 2030. This strategic partnership strengthens our national talent pool, empowering our growing tech force and expanding opportunities for women in high-demand AI roles. Together, we are investing in people at scale, so innovation translates into productivity, new startups, and growth."