Google’s cloud solutions arm recently inked a technical agreement with the government of Kuwait, marking another milestone in the tech giant’s push to expand its footprint in the Middle East. The agreement also marks a step towards Kuwait’s own move towards digitization on a national level.
The agreement will enable the Kuwaiti government to optimize its use of Google Cloud technologies in terms of artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and data analytics in various sectors.
Google will be working with the country’s Central Agency for Informational Technology (CAIT) to create a digital transformation roadmap. This will cover government agencies, as well as several state-owned corporations, and has the end goal of digitizing various key services for Kuwaiti citizens as well as improving productivity among government employees.
Other key goals include the development of digital improvements for education, disaster mitigation, and recovery, national healthcare, as well as improving the overall standard of living in the country.
Establishing a Local Presence
In order to achieve goals under the agreement, Google Cloud will be setting up a local office in the country and establishing a specific cloud region equipped with the latest technologies as its way of supporting various public and private entities, as well as entrepreneurial startups.
Likewise, Google and CAIT are set to establish and deploy a national upskilling program wherein government employees will be taught to use and manage various state-of-the-art technologies, including proprietary solutions for AI, data analytics, machine learning, and online / systems security.
According to Google Cloud chief executive Thomas Kurian, the agreement supports the Vision 2035 initiative of the government which seeks to diversify the country’s economy and transform it into possibly the first fully digital society in the region.
Kurian added that he and his team are proud to be part of Kuwait’s drive towards national digitization through the creation of an enhanced technical ecosystem to be implemented throughout the country which, in turn, would create numerous employment opportunities for those with improved technical skills.
