How the EA office leads adoption of emerging technologies inside the entity, from spotting an opportunity to feeding it into the target state and the roadmap.
In Brief
Placement in NORA: A cross-cutting topic addressed across the methodology stages, mainly in Stage 3: Exploring Future Trends.
A clear, approved in-house process for adopting emerging technologies, with the EA office role spelled out at every step.
Emerging technologies treated as a pillar of the entity digital transformation strategy, not as one-off pilots.
Visible progress on related initiatives within the digital transformation roadmap, with metrics to back it up.
Use cases that are studied, approved, and end in a working deployment with a measured impact.
Emerging Technology Areas
Artificial intelligence
Automating repetitive work and supporting decisions with analytical and generative models.
Internet of Things
Connecting field devices and streaming live data into the entity platforms.
Blockchain
Recording transactions across multiple parties with traceability and transparency.
Augmented and virtual reality
Interactive experiences for training, inspection, and service delivery.
Robotics and process automation
Running repetitive procedures accurately, without manual intervention.
Cloud computing
Flexible infrastructure that scales with workload and demand.
For deeper guidance, refer to the DGA Emerging Technologies Adoption Guideline.
Benchmarking steps
01
Define what you are measuring
Agree on the criteria first and tie them to a real need inside the entity, not a generic checklist.
02
Pick reference entities or countries
Choose entities and countries that are ahead in the area under study and offer lessons that can travel.
03
Gather and analyse the evidence
Pull out the practices and outcomes, and look at what worked and what did not, rather than listing numbers.
04
Measure the gap
Compare the entity position against the chosen reference and state the gaps plainly.
05
Land on recommendations and a plan
End with a report that produces decisions you can act on, not general intentions.
Where each technology lands across the NORA domains
Business
AI and process-automation use cases: virtual assistants, knowledge management, and the digital workplace. The Business Architect names the affected capability and its impact on services.
Data
Composable, analysable data via advanced analytics and big-data platforms. The Data Architect adds them to the future data components.
Applications
Low-code and no-code platforms that speed up internal application delivery. The Application Architect places them into the future application landscape.
Technology
Green data centres aligned with the Saudi Green Initiative, plus servers built for AI workloads.
Key takeaway
The EA office does not just watch new technologies. It proposes them, makes their impact on the entity explicit, and places them into the target state and the roadmap before adoption.
