Al-Haqil: We are working to build the first fully integrated smart ministry and are strengthening our technological partnerships with global companies Huawei and ByteDance to support digital transformation.

Monday 28 September 2026

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His Excellency the Minister of Municipalities and Housing, Mr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, affirmed today that the Ministry is proceeding with building the first integrated smart ministry by adopting an advanced system that relies on artificial intelligence, data and modern technologies, which will contribute to raising the efficiency of municipal and housing services, improving the quality of life and achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

This came during the conclusion of His Excellency’s official visit to the People’s Republic of China, which included a series of meetings and field visits aimed at promoting digital transformation and building technological partnerships that support the development of smart cities and the use of advanced technologies in the municipal and housing sectors.

During the second day of the visit, His Excellency was briefed on the latest global practices and experiences in the fields of artificial intelligence and smart cities, and discussed opportunities for cooperation in developing digital infrastructure and investing in data centers with a number of Chinese technology entities.

His Excellency also visited the Smart Operations and Control Center in the Longgang District of Shenzhen, operated by Huawei , and was briefed on the latest AI-based solutions for city management, and mechanisms for integrating urban, traffic and environmental data within unified operating platforms that support decision-making and enhance operational response efficiency.

Al-Haqil stressed the importance of investing in building national capabilities by adopting specialized programs to qualify and train personnel in the fields of smart cities, data analysis and modern technologies, which contributes to transferring and localizing knowledge and enhancing the readiness of national competencies to lead the digital transformation in the municipal and real estate sectors.

Regarding international partnerships, the Minister of Municipalities and Housing held a meeting with leaders of the global companies Huawei and ByteDance , during which he affirmed that the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing is a key partner for the two companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its technical arm NHC Innovation , and joint work on implementing a number of strategic initiatives in the fields of data engineering, artificial intelligence, development of digital services and enhancing the beneficiary experience.

His Excellency explained that the system is working on implementing an integrated artificial intelligence strategy that includes more than 20 use cases, about 20% of which are allocated to supporting the functional staff and enabling them to perform their work more efficiently, while the rest of the cases focus on developing digital applications, employing digital gaming methods ( Gamification ), enhancing smart search engines, and providing AI-supported marketing recommendations and services, which contributes to raising operational efficiency, reducing costs and improving the quality of services.

The meetings discussed opportunities to establish data centers within the business areas of NHC Group's real estate projects , which would enhance the digital infrastructure and support the attractiveness of investment in these areas.

At the conclusion of the visit, His Excellency affirmed that the partnerships and initiatives achieved reflect the Ministry’s transition to an advanced stage of digital transformation based on the integration of technology, data, and innovation. He stressed that investing in national talent is the cornerstone for building the cities of the future, and affirmed the continued work to develop a smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable municipal and housing sector.

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia