Week 30 - 2026Published 26 Jul 2026

The Gulf: from follower to builder in AI

This week the story starts in the Gulf: Saudi Arabia's CST reports that nearly 45% of the Kingdom's internet users now rely on AI tools, while an AIP–MGX–BlackRock consortium closes a ~$40 billion acquisition of Aligned Data Centers — a sign the region is becoming a builder of AI infrastructure, not a bystander. Globally, the model race sharpens between China's Kimi K3 and Anthropic's Claude Opus 5, as Huawei maps its enterprise-AI strategy at WAIC. The question for decision-makers: where do you stand in this shift?

Arab AI Scene

45% of Saudi Internet users now use AI

19 Jul 20265 Safar 1448 AH

Arab AI Scene

19 Jul 20265 Safar 1448 AH

45% of Saudi Internet users now use AI

The Saudi Internet Report 2025 by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission reveals that 45.2% of internet users in Saudi Arabia now utilize AI tools. Adoption is notably higher among women at 52.8% compared to 39.4% for men, and it declines with age, with 58.4% usage among those aged 10-19. ChatGPT ranks as the most downloaded AI application in Saudi Arabia, followed by Google Gemini and DeepSeek, with the local HUMAIN AI app in the tenth position. The report indicates that information searching is the primary use case for AI tools at 80.8%, followed by idea generation (40.1%) and education (37.7%).

Arab AI Scene

AIP, MGX and BlackRock's GIP complete $40 billion Aligned Data Centers acquisition

21 Jul 20267 Safar 1448 AH

Arab AI Scene

21 Jul 20267 Safar 1448 AH

AIP, MGX and BlackRock's GIP complete $40 billion Aligned Data Centers acquisition

A consortium comprising the AI Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), UAE-based MGX, and BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) has completed the acquisition of 100% of Aligned Data Centers from Macquarie Asset Management for approximately $40 billion — one of the largest private digital-infrastructure investments to date. Aligned operates 51 campuses with over 6.4GW of capacity across the US and Latin America. The consortium also committed an additional $5 billion in growth capital to expand Aligned's AI-ready capacity.

Global AI Scene

Models

Kimi K3: Chinese AI Model Creates Global Buzz

24 Jul 202610 Safar 1448 AH

Models

24 Jul 202610 Safar 1448 AH

Kimi K3: Chinese AI Model Creates Global Buzz

The Kimi K3 model from Monshot AI has generated significant buzz just two days after its launch, leading to a halt in new subscriptions due to overwhelming demand. Kimi K3's ability to rival advanced American AI models while being free makes it an attractive option for developers. Kimi K3's significance arises amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China, with Washington imposing technology export restrictions. U.S. officials have accused Monshot of extracting American models, a claim the company denies. This open-source model allows developers to use it freely, enhancing its global adoption.

Models

Anthropic's Claude Opus 5 costs well below Fable 5 while matching or beating it across most benchmarks

25 Jul 202611 Safar 1448 AH

Models

25 Jul 202611 Safar 1448 AH

Anthropic's Claude Opus 5 costs well below Fable 5 while matching or beating it across most benchmarks

Claude Opus 5 from Anthropic scored 61 points in the Artificial Intelligence Analysis Index, surpassing Claude Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol. The model excels in analytical quality and coding capabilities, costing half as much as Fable 5 at lower reasoning tiers. The competition at the top remains tight, with Claude Opus 5 outperforming Fable 5 across most benchmarks. This advancement in analytical and programming performance highlights the importance of innovation in developing AI models.

Agents

Huawei Cloud Unveils Enterprise AI at WAIC: Zhou Yuefeng Breaks Down the Steps for Scaling AI Agents Into Production Systems

19 Jul 20265 Safar 1448 AH

Agents

19 Jul 20265 Safar 1448 AH

Huawei Cloud Unveils Enterprise AI at WAIC: Zhou Yuefeng Breaks Down the Steps for Scaling AI Agents Into Production Systems

Zhou Yuefeng, CEO of Huawei Cloud, outlined the company's AI strategy at WAIC 2026. He emphasized that scaling AI agents from demos to production systems requires three coordinated advances: open protocols, reusable industry assets, and a platform approach that enhances agent capabilities. The centerpiece is AgentArts, a full lifecycle platform covering AgentStudio for agile construction, AgentRun for reliable operation, and AgentOps for continuous operations, with openJiuwen as the open-source core framework. Zhou highlighted the stability gap between demonstration and production as a key challenge Huawei is addressing.

Articles

Three AI Governance Models — Which One Should You Follow?

27 Jun 202612 Muharram 1448 AH

Three AI Governance Models — Which One Should You Follow?

Europe imposes a comprehensive law, America relies on voluntary standards, and China requires every algorithm to be registered. The Gulf is building its framework from all three — what does that mean for your product?

Building Your First AI Workflow: Start Small, Scale Smart

23 Jun 20268 Muharram 1448 AH

Building Your First AI Workflow: Start Small, Scale Smart

Most companies start their AI journey by scoping a moonshot. The teams that win pick something boring instead — a 30-minute task you do three times a week. Here is why low-stakes workflows teach you everything strategic ones cannot.

Learning Series

The “AI: From Understanding to Application” series is complete — 21 lessons.

These are selected lessons from it.

Start from lesson 1

AI: From Understanding to Application

The Gulf: from follower to builder in AI

45% of Saudi Internet users now use AI

45% of Saudi Internet users now use AI

AIP, MGX and BlackRock's GIP complete $40 billion Aligned Data Centers acquisition

AIP, MGX and BlackRock's GIP complete $40 billion Aligned Data Centers acquisition

Kimi K3: Chinese AI Model Creates Global Buzz

Kimi K3: Chinese AI Model Creates Global Buzz

Anthropic's Claude Opus 5 costs well below Fable 5 while matching or beating it across most benchmarks

Anthropic's Claude Opus 5 costs well below Fable 5 while matching or beating it across most benchmarks

Huawei Cloud Unveils Enterprise AI at WAIC: Zhou Yuefeng Breaks Down the Steps for Scaling AI Agents Into Production Systems

Huawei Cloud Unveils Enterprise AI at WAIC: Zhou Yuefeng Breaks Down the Steps for Scaling AI Agents Into Production Systems

Three AI Governance Models — Which One Should You Follow?

Three AI Governance Models — Which One Should You Follow?

Building Your First AI Workflow: Start Small, Scale Smart

Building Your First AI Workflow: Start Small, Scale Smart

AI in Customer Service

AI in Customer Service

AI in the Small and Family Business

AI in the Small and Family Business

AI in Your Personal Day

AI in Your Personal Day

How Do You Measure the Return on AI?

How Do You Measure the Return on AI?