Qatar Leads GCC in Cybersecurity Innovation with AI and Quantum Tech

Qatar is positioning itself as a cybersecurity leader in the Gulf region by adopting state-of-the-art technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing and quantum-safe systems. The National Cybersecurity Strategy 2024–2030 focuses on the protection of a nation’s digital infrastructure while at the same time providing guidance for innovation.

Omar Sherin, Technology Consulting Partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Middle East, indicated that Qatar has been ahead in terms of technology and cyber standards for over a decade – the National Information Assurance Standard (2010), the Cloud Security Standard (2011) and finally, the National Cybersecurity Framework (2020). Collectively, these standards and frameworks have provided the unshakeable bedrock of a cyber resilient digital ecosystem.

As part of the new National Cyber Security Strategy 2024–2030 by the NCSA, Qatar issued guidelines in 2024 for organizations around the safe and responsible use of AI, indicating when and how organizations can use AI in a fraction of the time taken by government standards for the National Cyber Security Framework. They also promoted guidance to enhance the security of edge-computing applications, a pressing enhancement given how much IoT, smart cities, and most applications in Industry 4.0 can require the ability to run and process information about their environment in closer proximity to where the data are generated. While endorsing an allowance for countries to adopt standards, he stressed across each cumulative measure the ongoing challenge of data classification for many institutions still transitioning from systems in ways they may have used older systems. Data classification is integral to data protection and organization with regards to regulations and compliance.

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