Smart farm solution company Growise Co., Ltd. (Growise) announced that it has signed a strategic business agreement (MOU) with World bridge al saudiya Company Ltd. and will enter the Middle Eastern smart farm market. World bridge al saudiya is the Saudi Arabian subsidiary of World Bridge Industry Co., Ltd., which holds the world’s largest track record in aluminum dome construction.

Through this MOU, the two companies will introduce a “Saudi-style smart farm standard model” that combines their respective areas of expertise. Based on its local plant in Saudi Arabia, World bridge al saudiya will be responsible for providing building space (facilities) essential for smart farm operations, establishing water (water supply) and power infrastructure, responding to local Saudi laws and licensing, and securing local sales networks.

Growise will provide elements corresponding to the brain and heart of a smart farm, including smart farm construction processes and equipment, a data-based decision-making support system, a generative AI cultivation solution, and specialized cultivation technologies and operational know-how.

The main items the two companies will initially cultivate in Saudi Arabia are leafy vegetables (such as lettuce and kale) and strawberries. Due to its climatic characteristics, Saudi Arabia has low self-sufficiency in fresh vegetables and high-quality fruit and depends largely on imports. Using Growise’s AI precision control technology, the companies plan to minimize water consumption while producing and supplying high-quality strawberries and fresh vegetables locally.

Recently, as part of “Saudi Vision 2030,” the Saudi Arabian government has been actively promoting the strengthening of food security and the introduction of agriculture within smart cities. This cooperation model, which combines World Bridge’s extensive on-the-ground experience and infrastructure with Growise’s innovative technology, is attracting attention as a concrete example of the “sustainable advanced agriculture” pursued by the Saudi government.

A Growise representative stated, “Thanks to the local plant and infrastructure owned by World bridge al saudiya, we have been able to drastically shorten the technology demonstration period,” adding, “By supplying fresh strawberries and vegetables grown using Growise’s hardware solutions, such as its cultivation bed system, and AI solutions throughout Saudi Arabia, we will enhance the stature of K-smart farms.”

World bridge al saudiya also commented, “By mobilizing the infrastructure construction capabilities and public-sector networks our company has accumulated in Saudi Arabia, we will support Growise’s technology so that it can achieve maximum efficiency locally,” and added, “The cooperation between the two companies will become a milestone in the modernization of Saudi agriculture.”

Immediately after signing the agreement, the two companies will form a joint task force (TF) and begin building a testbed for technology demonstration (PoC) within World Bridge’s local plant. Through this PoC, they plan to secure data on growth optimization under Saudi Arabia’s extreme climatic conditions and present the first harvest in the first half of next year. After completing technology verification, they plan to scale this up into a large-scale commercial production facility and pursue joint expansion into neighboring GCC countries such as Qatar and the UAE.

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