Orange will build and run a smart city platform for Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Financial District in the centre of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Orange will provide a range of Digital Master Systems Integration services and orchestrate its partner ecosystem by working alongside company experts on systems integration and new use cases.

The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) aims to create a high-quality urban environment and lifestyle for businesses, residents, and visitors. This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030’s Quality of Life Program and its objectives of enhancing the livability and competitiveness of the Kingdom’s cities.

Under the agreement, Orange Business will provide a range of services to KAFD, including the Orange Smart City Platform. It is compatible with a range of systems and technologies and covers big data, data management, descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive data analytics, and governance.

AI-related use cases will include geolocation-based sentiment analysis of social media, analysing, collating, and sharing contextual data in areas ranging from water supply to traffic situation awareness, and energy optimisation across commercial office buildings.

By integrating a digital twin with the Smart City Platform, architects and engineers will be able to analyse real-time data to optimise building design.

Commenting on the agreement, Gautam Sashittal, CEO of King Abdullah Financial District Development and Management Company (KAFD DMC) said: “The increasing wave of urbanisation across the world is set to uncover a US $517 billion market for smart city solutions with an annual growth rate of 25%, a fact that plays into KAFD’s objectives of building a future-proof and business-friendly hub in Riyadh. A major step in that direction, our partnership with Orange Business will further strengthen our drive to become a global pioneer in smart urban development.”

Sahem Azzam, Senior Vice President Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, Orange Business, said, “Orange Business is delighted to be a part of this flagship project and serve as a trusted digital partner. The commissioning of the Smart City Platform is a clear signal of our commitment to elevate the already world-class district to the next level of smart city evolution – what we call the cognitive city. This is driven by the collection of data and leveraging AI and data analytics to provide deeper user insights as a basis for new use cases, revenue streams, and innovative services for the city’s population. It will also optimise city operations – making them better, faster, and safer.”

Azzam said: “With our specialised teams on site to offer their unparalleled expertise from a regional cluster headquarters in the Kingdom, we believe our collaboration with KAFD will showcase innovative urban digital design and make a key contribution to the Saudi Vision 2030 economic diversification and transformation plan.”

Orange Business has been involved in smart city projects in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East for more than 10 years. It is currently engaged in developments spanning Egypt and the Arabian Gulf states, and through the SMART Africa initiative to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development across the continent.