Aramco Charts Bold Digital Future to Transform Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is harnessing advanced technologies to power its national digital transformation guided by a five-pillar framework, according to Aramco’s senior vice president of digital and information technology.

“Saudi Arabia is undergoing a profound transformation,” said Aramco’s Sami Ajmi, during a speech at recently held Vivatech 2025 conference in Paris. “Vision 2030 places technology at the heart of the kingdom’s national strategy. We, at Aramco, stand at the intersection of those national ambitions and the world’s industrial challenges.”

Aramco is one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies and is owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is key to the country’s Vision 2030, a national initiative whose goal is to diversify its economy, reduce its dependence on oil revenues and develop key sectors such as health, education, tourism and technology.

Ajmi said Aramco may be known as an energy company, but it has a growing status also as a “knowledge powerhouse with 90 years of data.” He said the company began its digital transformation more than eight years ago, a journey that has pushed it into the “top quartile of digital maturity” among industrial peers.

“Our digital journey began with a clear vision to be the world’s leading digitalized energy company,” Ajmi said. “Transforming this vision into reality, though, is undoubtedly a significant undertaking.”

Aramco’s transformation is guided by a five-pillar digital blueprint: People, change management, fostering an innovative culture, strategic collaborations, and targeted investments. At its center is a resilient digital core focused on connectivity, advanced computing, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity.

“Consider our operational landscape — vast deserts, remote offshore rigs and deep exploration fields,” Ajmi said. “Conventional connectivity simply won’t cut it. That is why we deploy the best portfolio of connectivity technologies, including LEO (low Earth orbit) satellites, to conquer these unique geographical challenges.”

Aramco also operates two major high-performance computing systems. “This is why we built the Dammam-7 supercomputer in 2021 and launched our AI supercomputer in 2024,” Ajmi said, describing the systems as “engines that drive our digital innovation.”

The company is taking its computing efforts into new territory. “Aramco is pioneering quantum computing in Saudi Arabia,” Ajmi said. “Our partnership with the French innovators at Pasqal will install Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer, a 200-qubit system, in the near future.”

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Ajmi also offered examples of Aramco’s AI deployments, including one of the first industrial-scale large language models powered by the company’s AI supercomputer. Other applications include the use of generative AI for industrial maintenance and monitoring, with real-time data and diagnostics delivered through edge devices and drones.

To secure these digital assets, Ajmi said cybersecurity is embedded from the start. “AI, for instance, introduces novel threats,” he said. “At Aramco, we launched our ‘Eye on AI’ program, embedding cybersecurity from the initial design to the final deployment of AI models.”

Beyond technology, Ajmi said people are central to Aramco’s transformation. “We recognize from day one that digital transformation is not about systems and software. It is fundamentally about empowering our people,” he said. “Technology is a tool, but people are the true transformation drivers.”

To that end, Aramco has launched broad digital upskilling efforts through partnerships with institutions such as INSEAD and IE University.

Ajmi also emphasized the role of organizational culture and business alignment. “While it is important to spread digital awareness across the organization, it is also imperative to keep the business challenges in mind,” he said. “We have to strike a balance — find the sweet spot where rapid technology adoption meets core business challenges.”

One way Aramco fosters innovation is through Aramco SAIL, or Saudi Accelerated Innovation Lab. “It is a dynamic ecosystem where industry, talent, startups and academia converge to co-create the future,” he said.

Ajmi noted that Aramco actively builds international partnerships to support its transformation, including collaborations in Europe with companies such as Pasqal, Novaspace and Thales on quantum and satellite technologies.

The company is also investing heavily to sustain its digital push. Through its corporate venturing arm, Aramco Ventures, the company has committed $4 billion toward emerging technologies, placing it among the top corporate venture funds globally with a total fund size of $7 billion.

“This game of digital transformation is a marathon,” Ajmi said. “It’s not a sprint. It demands meticulous planning, bold investment and unwavering adaptability.”

As validation of Aramco’s progress, Ajmi pointed to five facilities that have been designated as ‘global lighthouses’ by the World Economic Forum to recognize leaders in deploying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.

“Aramco’s journey is a living testimony to the great potential organizations may unlock with visionary technology adoption, where visionary methodology beats empowered talent,” Ajmi said.

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