With global spending on AI projected to reach $632bn by 2028, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 29% between 2024 and 2028, Oman has launched its National Programme for AI and Advanced Digital Technologies. Unveiled in September 2024 as part of Oman Vision 2040, this initiative will play a key role in the country’s digital transformation and economic diversification strategy. Building on the 2022 Executive Programme for AI and Advanced Digital Technologies, the programme will run from 2024 to 2026, targeting an increase in the digital economy’s GDP contribution from 2% in 2021 to 5% by 2030 and 10% by 2040.
The revised programme is structured around three core objectives. First, it aims to integrate AI into key economic sectors to boost service standards and streamline operations. Second, it will foster the growth of AI technologies by nurturing local talent, bolstering public-private collaboration, enhancing technical infrastructure and advancing AI research. Lastly, it will implement governance frameworks that prioritise ethical, human-centred AI practices, with a focus on safeguarding data privacy, ensuring responsible use and building public confidence in digital innovation.
Foundations
The 2024 programme builds on the foundation of the 2022 iteration, which emphasised collaboration across public, private and academic spheres to establish Oman as a leader in AI. To achieve this, the country aims to strengthen its AI landscape, organised around infrastructure, technology and application. The ecosystem includes foundational components such as sensors, AI chips and data systems; technology tools like natural language processing, computer vision and machine learning; and practical applications in robotics, autonomous vehicles and business intelligence.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a role in AI development through digital fabrication laboratories and their contribution to projects in sectors like oil, gas and health care. Oman has already seen AI integration in various industries, with hydrocarbons firms and factories in Al Rusayl Industrial City adopting smart warehousing, and the energy sector leading in the use of predictive maintenance, oil spill monitoring and machine vision for safety. Business intelligence solutions such as robotic process automation and AI-assisted breast cancer diagnostics are also being deployed in corporate and health care settings.
Infrastructure
To support the shift toward greater AI integration, Oman has prioritised investment in communication infrastructure, cloud technologies and data centres, targeting sectors like energy and logistics where AI can enhance efficiency. The programme aims to embed AI technologies across key industries to boost operational performance, foster innovation and promote a knowledge-driven economy. Specific applications include optimising supply chains through predictive analytics in logistics, enhancing diagnostics and telemedicine in health care, and improving energy production and smart grid management in alignment with Oman Vision 2040’s sustainability goals.
Oman aims to rank among the top 35 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index by enabling the adoption and localisation of digitalisation in various areas. These include infrastructure, industry, e-commerce, AI, advanced technologies, space, cybersecurity and financial technology. These initiatives are designed to boost economic competitiveness by fostering workforce development, driving sector-specific digital transformation and fostering a supportive business environment.
A key focus is upskilling the Omani workforce by integrating AI and data analysis into school curricula to nurture the next generation of tech innovators. In partnership with UNESCO, Oman’s Ministry of Education (MoE) began integrating AI into the K-12 curriculum in 2022 through workshops on global best practices and digital skills assessment. Supported by BP Oman, the MoE is also advancing AI adoption via the Digitalisation of Curricula project, transforming textbooks into interactive formats using virtual reality, animation and simulations for grades one through four. As of January 2025 nearly 3300 educators had been trained, and new AI labs and university collaborations further bolster this initiative. These efforts earned Oman the gold award at the 2024 International AI Competition, where the sultanate demonstrated excellence in educational AI integration, capacity building, curriculum development and technological infrastructure enhancement.
Private Investment
In January 2025 Ooredoo and the Al Buraimi Governorate signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance digital skills, foster AI and IT innovation, and promote sustainable development, aligning with Oman Vision 2040. Supporting this advancement, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and IT (MTCIT) signed an agreement with the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January 2025 to establish a Fourth Industrial Revolution centre in the sultanate. Set to begin operations in 2025, the centre will contribute to the WEF’s AI Governance Alliance, focusing on AI’s role in advancing energy transitions.
Oman’s AI programme includes other key projects like the Oman Open Data portal, which was 63% complete as of February 2025, to streamline government processes, enhance digital access, and support economic growth by centralising services related to investment, trade and public administration. To complement this, in January 2025 the MTCIT introduced its National Data Governance and Management regulatory framework to improve data management and decision-making across government entities. The sultanate is also establishing a national centre for AI research and development, launching an AI studio for technical solutions and developing Oman GPT – an Omani language model trained on the country’s cultural and scientific heritage. This builds on the May 2024 debut of AIx GPT, Oman’s first large language model, developed by AIx, a subsidiary of Emaar Groups, offering privacy-centred, offline functionality with faster speeds. Additionally, the programme is driving quantum computing initiatives to accelerate research, increase public understanding and integrate quantum technologies into various sectors.
To accelerate AI growth, Oman’s AI programme targets $400m in investment, a 20% annual increase in financing for AI start-ups and SMEs, and a rise in AI research output from 87 papers in 2020 to 665 by 2030. In 2024 alone, the country’s AI sector attracted OR60m ($155.9m), with a further OR15m ($39m) allocated for 2025 – consisting of OR10m ($26m) for government agencies and OR5m ($13m) for governorates. On the global front, the Oman Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, acquired a stake in Elon Musk’s xAI in December 2024.
Domestically, Oman is building a flexible regulatory environment. The MTCIT launched a public consultation in August 2024 to update the National AI Policy, incorporating feedback from academics, industry experts, stakeholders and AI users. Introduced in 2021, the new policy – set for release in 2025 – will reflect technological advancement and establish guidelines for ethical AI use, transparency, governance and accountability, with progress tracked against global benchmarks.
Future-Oriented
Oman is looking to foster a dynamic ecosystem to drive its National Programme for AI and Advanced Digital Technologies by uniting government agencies, private sector players, academia and global partners to tackle challenges such as skills shortages, infrastructure gaps and regulatory complexities. This approach includes co-funded research initiatives, innovation centres, and public-private partnerships designed to attract both domestic and foreign investment. High-profile events such as the Oman AI Summit, held in January 2025 with over 3000 participants, 100 exhibitors and over 70 speakers from more than 40 countries, have strengthened Oman’s reputation as a centre for innovation.
A core focus is placed on education and workforce development through AI-specific programmes, coding boot camps, advanced degrees, and the integration of digital literacy into primary and secondary curricula. To support this advancement, Oman is investing in digital infrastructure, including high-speed internet, data centres and cloud services. Notably, Nokia and Ooredoo Oman are collaborating to roll out a dense wavelength division multiplexing wholesale network that will boost low-latency connectivity for hyperscalers and AI-driven applications. This network, set to launch commercially in 2025, will establish Oman as a connectivity centre linking Europe, the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
Oman’s 2024 AI programme underscores the sultanate’s long-term commitment to economic diversification and sustainable growth. By transitioning from traditional revenue sources to a technology-driven economy, the country aims to build resilience against global disruptions, create high-value jobs and enhance its global competitiveness as a technology-friendly centre in the MENA region. Empowering Omani citizens through education and skills development ensures their active participation in shaping the country’s digital future, leading to benefits such as improved quality of life, better services and greater civic engagement.
