Saudi Arabia has emphasized that digital transformation in the water sector is an economic, environmental, and national imperative, playing a pivotal role in strengthening water security, enhancing resource management, and transforming data into strategic decisions that support sustainability. The Kingdom also underscored that technology and artificial intelligence are fundamental enablers for reducing water losses, improving operational efficiency, and advancing the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
The remarks were made during the specialized panel discussion, “Digital Transformation in the Water Sector: From Data to Decision," organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture as part of the inaugural Saudi Water Week, held in Jeddah from 28 June to 2 July 2026. The Ministry outlined its vision for leveraging data lakes, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies to build a more efficient and sustainable water sector, enhance the quality of government services, enable data-driven decision-making, and accelerate the sector's digital transformation.
The session explored the role of digital transformation in reshaping the water sector by converting raw data into strategic insights that strengthen water security and sustainability. It also highlighted the growing contribution of technology and artificial intelligence to improving water efficiency and reducing non-revenue water, while examining the impact of digital growth and data centers on water consumption, together with approaches to optimizing resource use in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Discussions covered several key themes, including the role of technology in strengthening water security, the impact of digital technologies and data centers on water consumption, transforming data into intelligent operational decisions, successful international and local case studies, the use of artificial intelligence for detection, prediction, and efficiency enhancement, as well as water sustainability and Water Use Efficiency (WUE) indicators.
Participants noted that digital data exists across every water network; however, the challenge lies in collecting, analyzing, and acting on that data. They added that international experience has demonstrated that every riyal invested in digitalization can generate a fivefold return through reduced water losses and lower operating costs, ultimately improving sector efficiency and enhancing the reliability of water services.
In addition, the session reviewed the Ministry's efforts to establish and operationalize an enterprise-wide data lake across its ecosystem as a strategic initiative to create a unified institutional data platform. The initiative is designed to enhance data quality and governance, enable the development of accurate performance indicators, support advanced analytics and evidence-based decision-making, improve operational efficiency, and maximize the value of data assets.