Prince Muhammad to meet tech giants in Silicon Valley

Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, arrived here Sunday from Washington where he met President Barack Obama and other top US officials.

The deputy crown prince’s visit to California will include meetings with executives in Silicon Valley, the home of the world’s tech giants.

A number of tech deals are expected between the Kingdom and Silicon Valley companies during Prince Muhammad’s visit.

According to analysts speaking to Al Arabiya News Channel, Prince Muhammad’s meetings will aim to enhance ties with Silicon Valley and create new projects to be implemented in the Kingdom.

These meetings also aim to establish a high-tech sector to achieve the aims of a diverse economy, as sought by Saudi Vision 2030.

The deputy crown prince’s visit to California will last for four days. He will then head to his third stop, New York, on Tuesday, where he is scheduled to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday.

The Vision 2030 plan states that Saudi Arabia is planning to expand “the variety of digital services to reduce delays and cut tedious bureaucracy.
We will immediately adopt wide-ranging transparency and accountability reforms…We will improve the business environment, so that our economy grows and flourishes, driving healthier employment opportunities for citizens and long-term prosperity for all…Our Vision is to maximize our investment capabilities by participating in large international companies and emerging technologies from around the world.”

Ministers accompanying the deputy crown prince gave lectures at several American centers. They spoke on Saudi Vision 2030 and NTP 2020 as well as the announcement of over 500 initiatives.

These lectures received positive attention from Americans. They described the Kingdom as being on the threshold of economic, social, political and regional change.

Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020 derived from it have caught the attention of the American government, economists, financiers and mega companies after they were briefed about these by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense.

Interacting with the Saudi media, Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi said the Deputy Crown Prince’s meeting with President Obama was distinctive and successful. They discussed various subjects including energy, the Kingdom’s keenness to maintain stable oil prices and finding other sources for alternative energy.

The meeting discussed the details of Saudi Vision 2030 and the programs derived from it including NTP 2020.