Riyadh - Sharikat Mubasher: The Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef affirmed that adopting fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies is a key pillar of the industrial revolution in the Kingdom.

In a roundtable meeting during the Great Futures expo, Alkhorayef elaborated that these technologies play a crucial role in increasing productivity, enhancing innovation, and empowering brand-new business models.

He noted that adopting leading-edge technologies requires empowering the workforce with more advanced skills to keep pace with rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI), big data, 5G, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Alkhorayef clarified that the ministry trained more than 50,000 employees working in vital fields, in collaboration with the private sector.

The 4IR is the trend towards automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and processes that include cyber-physical systems (CPS), IoT, industrial internet of things, cloud computing, cognitive computing, and AI.

The Great Futures expo convened in Riyadh on 14 and 15 May with the participation of around 750 representatives. It primarily focused on innovation in research collaboration, disruptive technologies, emerging clean tech, finance, and sustainable construction.