KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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“ We are a self-contained community – ‘ a living laboratory ’. It gives us the unique ability to develop and redefine smart cities and digital experiences ”
— Jason Roos , CIO , King Abdullah University of Science and Technology ( KAUST ) degrees that is of the same caliber as MIT , the California Institute of Technology and Stanford University . Therefore , over the last 10 years we have been working to build state-ofthe-art facilities that will ultimately help to change the economic landscape of Saudi Arabia .”
In addition to the research and academic institute , KAUST is surrounded by what Roos calls “ a mini Silicon Valley ”, to drive a culture of innovation and technological advancement . “ As CIO I am not only responsible for the institute , but also for the entire ‘ smart city ’, comprising thousands of homes , as well as restaurants , shopping centres , a police department and a small hospital . Within the ‘ smart city ’ we have research centres from multiple Fortune 500 companies including Dow , Aramco and SABIC . Essentially , we are a self-contained community - ‘ a living laboratory ’. That gives us the unique ability to develop and redefine smart cities and digital experiences for the people that live , work and study within KAUST .”
Currently , within the world of technology , Roos highlights that , globally ,
APRIL 2020