Qualcomm, Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s RDIA and HUMAIN announce startups selected for Design in Saudi Arabia with AI 2026

Qualcomm (through Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd.), Aramco (through aramcoSAIL), Saudi Arabia’s Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA) and HUMAIN have announced the ten startups selected for the 2026 edition of the Design in Saudi Arabia with AI (DISAI) programme. Launched at LEAP 2025, DISAI 2026 attracted more than 124 applications from across Saudi Arabia and wider markets and will run from April through November 2026. The programme expands technical support this year to include platforms such as Arduino® UNO™ Q, Arduino VENTUNO™ JQ, Qualcomm AI accelerators including AIC200, and industrial AI gateway platforms, as well as potential HUMAIN inference cloud credits and on‑device acceleration resources.

Key quote

“DISAI has not only allowed us to support and engage unique and technically advanced startups, but also inspired us to scale to a larger corporate program for open innovation,” said Ahmad O. Al‑Khowaiter, Executive Vice President Technology & Innovation at Aramco. “The next installment of the DISAI program will attract entrepreneurs from the region and globally to strengthen the ecosystem, focusing on industrial AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced communications.”

Programme context and support

DISAI was designed to support deep‑tech startups building AI‑enabled solutions in the Kingdom by providing hands‑on guidance across product design, development and intellectual property (IP) strategy from concept through commercialization. Qualcomm Technologies will provide technical and IP mentorship; aramcoSAIL contributes industrial expertise; RDIA offers strategic guidance on commercialization pathways and ecosystem development; and HUMAIN brings AI infrastructure and development support, including hosting larger models and AI‑enabled on‑device acceleration.

Wassim Chourbaji, President, Middle East and Africa, and Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Qualcomm, emphasised the programme’s alignment with national objectives: “Saudi Arabia is building one of the world’s most ambitious deep‑tech ecosystems, and we are proud to support this momentum through the second year of the DISAI program. As the Kingdom advances its Vision 2030 objectives — and marks 2026 as the Year of AI — initiatives like DISAI play a critical role in translating national ambition into real‑world innovation.”

Sudeepto Roy, Vice President, Engineering, Qualcomm Incorporated, added: “The edge‑AI solutions emerging from this cohort — privacy‑aware, real‑time, and increasingly multimodal, — signal a new level of technical maturity and the potential to reimagine workflows across sectors. IP remains fundamental to long‑term value creation, and we are pleased to see strong momentum in this area, supported by Arabic‑language IP training through L2prosaudiarabia.com.”

Selected startups

• Circula (Saudi) — AI‑powered circular‑economy platform automating industrial waste recovery and compliance
• Crosscall (France) — Rugged AIoT trackers for 450 MHz industrial and worker‑safety networks
• Deqa AI (Saudi) — AI‑powered enterprise automation and decision‑support platform
• Dexabot (Canada) — Industrial security and surveillance using drones and fleets
• Digital Petroleum (Saudi) — Single edge‑AI industrial sensor to replace multiple legacy sensors
• Electronic Photonics (Saudi) — LiDAR‑based edge‑AI traffic digital twin for smart intersections
• Finix Systems (Saudi) — Modular industrial IoT edge controller to retrofit legacy equipment
• Nommas.ai (Saudi) — AI “factory brain” for quality inspection, predictive maintenance and safety at the edge
• SDM (Saudi) — Multi‑disease AI diagnostic platform using medical imaging
• Tawkeed (Saudi) — On‑prem, Arabic‑first AI document intelligence platform compliant with Saudi data‑sovereignty rules

Outlook

Dr. Yazeed Alaskar, Acting Vice Governor of Innovation Ecosystem Development Sector at RDIA, framed DISAI as part of a strategy to build end‑to‑end capabilities: “The program demonstrates the Kingdom’s growing leadership in enabling AI‑driven solutions that address real‑world challenges across priority sectors, from industry and energy to healthcare and sustainability.”

Dr. Yaser Al‑Onaizan, Deputy CEO & President of AI Products at HUMAIN, highlighted the collaboration between partners: “By empowering startups to design and deploy advanced, locally relevant AI solutions, DISAI is helping build a resilient and globally competitive technology landscape.” The programme will conclude with a finale event where startups will showcase products and commercial progress developed during the April–November 2026 cycle.