Doha, September 22 (QNA) - Google Cloud has announced a series of new initiatives aimed at accelerating Qatar's digital transformation, including the launch of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology's (MCIT) Innovation Lab (iLab) and a national cloud-skilling program in partnership with the Qatar Digital Academy (QDA).

The announcements were made at the Google Cloud Summit Doha 2026, held at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) to mark the third anniversary of the Google Cloud Doha region. The event brought together more than 2,000 technology executives, developers and strategic partners to explore the adoption of cloud and artificial intelligence technologies, including Gemini Enterprise, across key sectors.

Assistant Undersecretary for Infrastructure and Operations Affairs at MCIT, Sami Mohammed Al Shammari said the framework agreement between the ministry and Google Cloud provides a strategic foundation for expanding cloud and AI adoption across Qatar's government sector.

"Today, cloud infrastructure is enabling the next stage of our digital transformation, providing the foundation to integrate advanced and agentic AI capabilities into core government operations," Al Shammari said.

He added that the partnership would support government entities in adopting the technologies at scale while strengthening national digital capabilities in line with Qatar's Digital Agenda 2030.

A key focus of the summit was the transition from experimental AI models to so-called agentic AI — systems designed to set goals, plan tasks and execute complex workflows with greater autonomy.

Google Cloud demonstrations highlighted how Gemini Enterprise can combine data and AI capabilities to help organizations move from traditional systems of record towards more proactive systems of action.

The company said the developments build on its five-year partnership with the Qatari government and its ongoing cooperation with MCIT to support a new phase of digital transformation centered on AI.

The newly launched MCIT Innovation Lab is intended to provide developers, researchers and businesses in Qatar with an accessible environment for testing and developing AI applications.

The facility includes an AI studio with multimodal capabilities and integrates with Gemini Enterprise, allowing projects to progress from proof-of-concept stages towards wider enterprise deployment.

Google Cloud and the Qatar Digital Academy have also launched the Google Cloud National Skilling Program, which aims to provide more than 50,000 learning opportunities across Qatar by 2030.

The program will target three main groups: the wider workforce through foundational AI training, executive leaders through strategic development programs, and developers through advanced technical training.

The initiative is designed to support the development of the workforce required to expand cloud computing and AI adoption across the country.

Several major Qatari organizations presented their latest cloud and AI initiatives during the summit.

In the telecommunications sector, Ooredoo Qatar and Vodafone Qatar outlined their use of no-code AI agents to automate aspects of internal network management.

In media and sports, beIN MEDIA GROUP and Aspire Zone Foundation highlighted applications of agentic AI in areas including live broadcast processing and the translation of athletic telemetry.

The public sector was also represented, with the Council of Ministers highlighting the deployment of centralized data analytics infrastructure and an Enterprise Data Lake for executive reporting.

Qatar Museums announced the launch of its Grand Prix Gaming Portal on Google Kubernetes Engine, using interactive technology to support engagement with cultural heritage.

In higher education, Qatar University detailed its rollout of Gemini Enterprise to automate administrative governance and support its Spark AI Research Hub.

The University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) is also using Gemini Enterprise to prototype specialized AI agents for energy, logistics and healthcare workflows.

The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) highlighted applications of AI in shortening media production cycles, streamlining legal and human resources enquiries, and assisting mosque imams with access to verified religious content.

The Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, together with the National Planning Council, presented the use of graph technology to support dynamic workforce management and scenario forecasting.

Ghassan Kosta, Regional General Manager for Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Iraq at Google Cloud, said the company's AI platform was designed to provide organizations with the infrastructure needed to scale intelligent systems.

"By integrating Gemini Enterprise and investing in workforce development through our national skilling initiatives, organizations can embed cognitive taskforces directly into their primary workflows and operate within an open ecosystem built for the pace of AI innovation," Kosta said.

The summit also featured a partner exhibition showcasing the expanding regional cloud ecosystem, alongside technical sessions, hands-on laboratories and co-innovation workshops focused on data engineering, cybersecurity and machine-learning architectures.

The announcements underscore the growing focus on cloud computing, AI adoption and digital skills development as Qatar advances the objectives of its Digital Agenda 2030. (QNA)