Huawei–a global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider–has launched a new Joint Innovation Center (JIC) in Saudi Arabia together with Saudi Aramco and King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), reported Zawya.

The Center is committed to enabling ICT technologies for the Oil & Gas industry, and will be located in Dhahran Techno Valley Innovation Center.

The inauguration ceremony was at the Oil and Gas Joint Innovation Center.

The JIC will focus on Digital & Intelligent Oil Fields, Digital Pipelines, Intelligent Refineries, High Performance Computing, Big Data, Mobility, Safety & Security, Cloud Computing, and Energy Management.

Trade Arabia quoted Yan Lida, president of Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group, as saying that the “Middle East is a strategic region for Huawei’s global footprint. We have 15 years of local experience and have become the leading ICT infrastructure provider.”

Huawei has supported such knowledge-sharing initiatives before, such as its Annual Seeds for the Future education programme, selecting students every year to develop practical skills that will prepare them for a career in the ICT industry.