Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announce their partnership to establish a joint advanced connectivity lab for gaming and beyond at KACST’s premises, named as “Blink Lab”.
The Blink Lab will be conveniently located to facilitate accessibility for KACST’s researchers and startups that operate in KACST’s Garage, one of the largest incubators and accelerators for deep technologies in the region, and seeks to foster a culture of innovation, creativity, collaboration, and entrepreneurship to unlock the Kingdom’s technological and economic potential.
The lab will feature a private 5G network and serve as a testbed for training, research, product development and commercialization of innovative gaming solutions from from global and local ecosystems.
The lab will be supported by Ericsson’s global expertise and latest cloud native technologies, like its 5G Core and Cloud Native Infrastructure solutions alongside equipment from its 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) portfolio. It will serve as an ideal venue for industry experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs to exchange knowledge and ideas, create new businesses, and aid in capturing the value of 5G connectivity and investing in local talent and innovation. Moreover, the lab is expected to attract researchers, start-ups and product developers interested in developing new solutions related to 5G in the Kingdom.
Commenting on the lab, Dr. Mariam Nouh, Vice President of Future Economies at KACST, says: “As a national laboratory and innovation park, KACST seeks to position the Kingdom among the world’s most advanced economies in technology, by investing in scientific and technological development, which are the two main pillars for achieving sustainable economic growth. In achieving these goals, we look forward to collaboration with Ericsson contributing to enhancing the adoption of advanced technology solutions in the gaming sector, which is one of the most promising sectors in the Kingdom.”
Mashhour Al-Sudairy, Head of Local Content at Ericsson Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, says: “Demonstrating our firm commitment to Saudi Arabia and Saudi Vision 2030, the partnership with KACST is part of our significant involvement in research in the multi-billion-dollar gaming industry to enable commercialization of 5G and 6G telecommunication networks. The upcoming establishment of the gaming research lab will provide a vital environment for knowledge exchange and innovation, advance technology and innovation in the Kingdom, and foster collaboration and network opportunities. We look forward to working with the KACST to contribute to the growth and sustainability of the Kingdom’s gaming sector.”
Home to a thriving billion-dollar gaming industry, the Kingdom has recently emerged as one of the main global gaming hubs. In addition, between 2022 and 2023, the sector witnessed 22 percent growth, and during the LEAP 2024 technology conference in Riyadh, the country’s National Development Fund (NDF) announced a $120 million investment under the Gaming and E-sports Financing Program.
Ericsson has a strong track record of driving innovation and cultivating talents within the Kingdom in collaboration with local partners. In 2021, the company opened the 5G Innovation Hub in Riyadh that has developed a wide range of 5G use cases, including Internet of Things (IoT) business case studies and enterprise verticals for 5G and IoT digitalization across diverse industries and segments.
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