Third ICT competition launched to promote innovation, creativity in Saudi Arabia

The national winners of the competition will receive certificates, trophies and prizes, and will also have the chance to travel to China to gain access to a top global ICT company. (SPA)

• The competition, which aligns with the ambitions of Vision 2030 and ICT Strategy 2023, promotes innovation and creativity

RIYADH: The third edition of the ICT competition has been launched in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Under the patronage of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and organized by Huawei, the opening ceremony was attended by Chen Weiqing, Chinese ambassador to Saudi Arabia, in addition to representatives from government authorities and Saudi universities.
The competition, which aligns with the ambitions of Vision 2030 and ICT Strategy 2023, promotes innovation and creativity. Contestants are tested on their knowledge of cloud computing, switching, routing and network security. In addition, the competition helps to get participants up-to-date with the latest technologies such as IoT, AI, “big data” and 5G technology.
The competition comprises three stages: Preliminary, national final and international final. The top teams will advance to the national final stage, which will take place in November. The national winners of the competition will receive certificates, trophies and prizes, and will also have the chance to travel to China to gain access to a top global ICT company.

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In the 2018 edition of the competition, the team from Saudi Arabia won third place in the final round of the competition, at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China.

Dr. Ahmed Altheneyyan, deputy minister for technology and digital capacities development at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, said: “The ICT competition provides a platform that encourages and educates youth in the field of ICT, preparing them to further develop the sector in the Kingdom, thereby increasing its value and potential for the future of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Mark Xueman, vice president of Huawei Technologies Co., said: “Working with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is an honor. We are proud to once more invite students to participate in this exciting competition, which offers valuable real-life experience opportunities, as well as the chance to win the prize of a lifetime, working with Huawei’s experts in our China headquarters.”