Muscat – Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) announced three major initiatives on Monday aimed at enhancing digital investment and establishing the sultanate as a regional technology hub – Digital Triangle Project, a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Zone and Green AI Alliance, the first of its kind in the region. The latter will unite local and international public and private institutions, as well as academic bodies.
The announcement of the projects coincided with the opening of the 34th edition of the COMEX Global Technology Exhibition, inaugurated by H H Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs. Agreements worth RO42mn were also signed during the event.
Running till Thursday, the four-day exhibition has attracted more than 140 tech startups, over 200 government and private entities, and international delegations. Participants are showcasing advancements in digital transformation, e-services and emerging technologies. The event aims to attract investment and provide consulting opportunities in areas such as data governance, policy development, metadata management, national capacity building and AI-driven data analysis.
H E Saeed bin Hamood al Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, said the ministry’s support to COEMX aligns with Oman Vision 2040, focusing on AI, data analytics and expanding digital government initiatives. He also announced the launch of Mu’een, the first Omani linguistic AI model, initially for government use and later extended to the public.
H E Dr Ali bin Amer al Shidhani, Undersecretary in MTCIT, highlighted additional initiatives, including 30 new services on the Unified Digital Services Portal, a new mobile application and smart assistant, the National Open Data Portal to enhance transparency, and Thiqat digital authentication services to strengthen e-government reliability.
The Green AI Alliance will promote sustainable AI development by bringing together government entities, policymakers, energy firms, technology companies, academics and investors. Focus areas include green data centres, efficient processors and algorithms, renewable energy solutions for high-performance computing, and skills development.
To be established in Seeb, the AI Zone will serve as a hub for AI startups and institutions from Oman, the Middle East and Africa. It will be managed by the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) with global implementers selected through public tender.
The Digital Triangle Project will create interconnected hubs in Barka, Duqm and Sur to serve as regional gateways for cloud computing, AI and advanced digital services, supported by green data centres, submarine cables and fibre optic connectivity.
COMEX also witnessed the launch of an AI Studio, a collaborative platform designed to help specialists and organisations leverage AI technologies to address operational and business challenges.
