In a move that reflects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s leadership in the technology and innovation sector, the Kingdom has achieved a new historic milestone by taking first place globally in the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY) for 2025. Saudi talents have won (26) diverse awards, surpassing strong competitors, with the United States of America coming in second place, and Indonesia in third place.
Details of the Saudi achievement at WAICY 2025
This achievement is the culmination of continuous efforts and a massive national investment in human capital. This year's edition witnessed fierce competition among thousands of innovative projects, but Saudi national talent proved its worth by presenting smart and innovative solutions. This victory reflects the success of national strategies aimed at promoting AI literacy and empowering youth with the tools of the digital future.
Historical context and evolution of participation
The WAICY competition is one of the world's leading platforms in this field. It was first launched in 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the campus of the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University. The competition has grown remarkably; from its beginnings with approximately 200 students from just 5 countries in 2018, the number of participants in the 2025 edition reached over 132,000 students representing 103 countries worldwide.
The Kingdom officially joined this competition in 2022, and quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the international equation, maintaining first place globally for three consecutive years (2023, 2024, and 2025), which confirms that this excellence is the result of sustainable institutional work and not just a temporary surge.
The role of “SDAIA” and Vision 2030
This achievement cannot be separated from the broader context of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which places great emphasis on digital transformation and building a knowledge-based economy. The Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has played a pivotal role in this success by nurturing young talent and providing them with a supportive environment. SDAIA works to empower students and teachers to utilize artificial intelligence technologies in addressing real-world challenges and encourages them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Competition patterns and their future impact
The competition included four main tracks reflecting the comprehensiveness of artificial intelligence applications, namely:
- Showcasing applications to address real-world problems.
- AI-generated art.
- Applications of large language models.
- AI-generated video.
This victory holds significant implications for the Kingdom's technological future, as it contributes to preparing a conscious and responsible generation capable of shaping the future of artificial intelligence, rather than merely consuming it. Furthermore, many of the projects participating in this competition have previously evolved into promising startups, thus strengthening the technological entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Kingdom and the region.
