Mountains and GPUs
As Jeddah and Riyadh strive to increase Saudi Arabia's presence in the AI space, with AI-focused conferences such as DeepFest '24 (~ 50,000 attendees) this past week, and an evergrowing vision of establishing an AI tech hub in the Middle East, my awe is still with the city built on mountains, "Mecca" (picture from my hotel room below). From the mountainous breeze to the chaotic hustle of vendors, there's something about this place.
As a visitor after almost 10 years, there are heavy signals that non-oil investments are paying dividends, evidenced by oil plunging in its share of GDP from 70% to almost 35%, whilst the economy showing minimal signs of shrinkage.
Makes one wonder, who comes out on top in the region, Dubai or Riyadh?
PS. Ramadan Kareem to those who celebrate!
