中东地区小型AI模型的巨大机遇：解锁该地区在AI基础设施竞赛中的潜力

Unlocking the region’s potentialin the AI infrastructure race Contacts RiyadhDiana DibPartner+966-11-249-7781diana.dib@strategyand.pwc.com Dubai Imad AtwiPartner+971-4-436-3000imad.atwi@strategyand.pwc.com Kirolous ZikryPrincipal+966-11-249-7781kirolous.zikry@strategyand.pwc.com Prateek ChauhanPrincipal+971-4-436-3000prateek.chauhan@strategyand.pwc.com About the authors Diana Dibis a partner with Strategy& Middle East, part of the PwC network. Based in Riyadh,sheis a member of the technology, media, telecommunications, and digital practice in theMiddleEast. She has over 18 years of management consulting experience across Europe andthe Middle East. She specializes in the tech and digital sector, advising brownfield and greenfieldtechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) champions and ventures, national investment authorities,and sector developers. Her expertise spans AI business models and go-to-market strategies,digitalinfrastructure, and data center investments and plays. Imad Atwiis a partner with Strategy& Middle East and a member of the technology, media,telecommunications, and digital practice in the Middle East. He advises sovereign entities,nationalchampions, and telecom operators on digital infrastructure, tech and digital investments,and ecosystem strategies across the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe.Hisexpertise covers AI digital infrastructure, hyperscale strategies, towers, non-terrestrial networks,as well as the full tech and digital investment life cycle—from strategy and playbook design toexecution, value creation, and post-merger integration. He also plays an active role in corporateventure capital and venture building, helping launch digital ventures and investment platformsaligned with national and sectoral priorities. Prateek Chauhanis a principal with Strategy& Middle East. Based in Dubai, he is a member of thetechnology, media, telecommunications, and digital practice in the Middle East. He has more than11 years of consulting experience across India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. He specializesin AI and digital infrastructure, advising technology champions and digital infrastructure players ontheir strategic agenda spanning business transformation, growth, and commercialization. Kirolous Zikryis a principal with Strategy& Middle East. Based in Riyadh, he is a member of thetechnology, media, telecommunications, and digital practice in the Middle East. He is a telecomand tech strategist with 17 years of experience leading digital infrastructure strategies andinitiativesacross global markets. He focuses on design, go-to-market, operations and growth ofdata centers players. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution has reached a pivotal moment,and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries1are key players in itsnext phase. The spotlight until recently has been on building ever-largerAImodels. The focus is now shifting toward more efficient frontiermodels and decentralized architectures. This fundamental reshaping of the landscape comes at a time when the GCC region hasgainedmomentum as a hub for AI infrastructure. Recent landmark agreements on the AIand data center fronts during a U.S. presidential visit have highlighted the region’s aim oftransforming the Gulf into a global hub for AI and validated global investors’ interest in theregion. Countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar are using theirenergy wealth and strategic positioning to lay the groundwork for tomorrow’s data centersand digital ecosystems. The convergence of technological shifts and regional ambition thuspresents an opportunity for GCC countries to position themselves as a central force in globalAI infrastructure. For policymakers, the message is clear: GCC countries are doing more than closing thegap—they are building a new “digital Silk Road.” To realize such ambitions, governmentsneedto focus efforts to attract hyperscalers and investors into AI and digital infrastructure.They can do so by creating investor-friendly regulatory policy, offering incentives, putting inplace ethical frameworks, facilitating smooth asset buildup, ensuring access to clean energy,strengthening regional connectivity, supporting hardware localization and talent development,and enabling a holistic AI ecosystem. For their part, private-sector players and regional datacenter developers should carefully adapt their positioning and offerings to tap into global andregional demand. THE AI MODEL PARADIGM RESET PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FORGCC COUNTRIES The reshaping of the AI landscape with the emergence of smaller, more efficient, and lessexpensive frontier models marks a paradigm reset. Among the main implications of this shiftis that cutting-edge AI is no longer purely the domain of centralized global players with hugecapital spending capabilities. Rather, it puts AI inferencing and traininginto the hands of newplayers in new geographies, including the GCC