University · Saudi Arabia
KAUST: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Saudi Arabia's graduate research university, with a Center of Excellence for Generative AI and a KAUST Academy that trains students in AI.
Overview
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is a graduate research university on the Red Sea coast. AI and machine learning are core research areas in its computer science programme.
In 2024 KAUST set up a Center of Excellence for Generative AI, chaired by Professor Bernard Ghanem with Professor Jürgen Schmidhuber as co-chair. It builds next-generation generative models and applies them to health, sustainability (mainly earth observation) and energy (mainly chemical discovery). KAUST Academy runs AI training for Saudi students, from an AI Specialization for university students to an eight-week AI summer school.
What it offers
- MS and PhD in computer science with AI and machine learning research
- KAUST Academy AI Specialization for university students and recent graduates (ages 18–30)
- KAUST Academy AI summer school (computer vision, reinforcement learning, NLP)
- Programmes for high school students (STEPs, High School Summer Program)
Research focus
- Generative AI models ("GenAI Factory")
- Generative AI for health and wellness
- AI for sustainability and earth observation
- AI for energy and chemical discovery
Who it's for
- Graduate students and researchers
- Saudi high school and university students (KAUST Academy)
Sources
- KAUST Center of Excellence for Generative AI
- KAUST Academy AI Specialization
- KAUST CS: AI and machine learning
Last checked 29 September 2026. This is an independent summary from public sources; Qatar AI Institute is not affiliated with KAUST. Programmes change often, so confirm details with the institute. Spotted an error? Let us know.