Al-Ahsa Mayor, Eng. Essam bin Abdul Latif Al-Mulla, confirmed that smart cities are no longer just an idea or a future ambition, but have become a tangible reality that contributes to improving the quality of life, enhancing operational efficiency, and reducing the environmental impact. Indicative of this, statistics indicate that global investment in smart city technologies exceeds one hundred and eighty-nine billion dollars annually, as governments and companies invest in developing digital infrastructure and innovative services to improve the lives of more than 55% of the world’s population living in cities. This came during the launch of the Smart City Hackathon Exhibition within the Eastern Province Creates Initiative, which is organized by Al-Mousa College of Health Sciences in strategic partnership with Al-Ahsa Municipality and will last for 3 days. Al-Mulla pointed out that this event reflects the shared vision of the public and private sectors to build a smarter and more sustainable future in the region and is in line with the aspirations of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 towards digital transformation and achieving advanced smart cities, noting that the Al-Ahsa Municipality, based on this, has developed clear strategies to achieve this goal. Among the most prominent efforts it has implemented are (digital transformation of municipal services, through which electronic platforms were developed that provide more than 100 digital services, which contributed to reducing time and effort and the transition to smart cities, smart infrastructure projects, which witnessed the completion of the installation of smart lighting systems that contribute to improving energy efficiency, in addition to enhancing smart garden initiatives and environmental sustainability projects such as smart sorting in the environmental landfill. These projects serve the vision of the smart city, strategic partnerships, through which the municipality works with the government and private sectors to develop innovative solutions in the fields of public transportation, waste management, improving energy efficiency, and smart monitoring of roads and main axes in Al-Ahsa to assist security agencies). Al-Mulla added: This exhibition represents a golden opportunity to exchange visions and ideas and showcase creative projects that will lead us to a brighter future, in addition to promoting a culture of innovation among young people who are the pillars of the future and leaders of change. With their determination and creativity, these initiatives will continue to be built upon to achieve a vision of sustainable and advanced smart cities that will be an example to be emulated in the Kingdom and the region. He extended his thanks and appreciation to everyone who contributed to organizing the exhibition and the initiative of Al-Moussa College of Health Sciences to host it, and to the young people participating in the Smart City Hackathon. It is worth noting that the Smart City Hackathon Exhibition aims to design and develop innovative solutions that face the challenges of contemporary cities using the latest technologies, where creators and innovators from all fields come together to invent a smarter future for cities. More than 13 government and private entities participate in it to showcase programs and projects related to (smart cities), while receiving student delegations from Al-Ahsa schools. The hackathon also provides opportunities for developing skills with the participation of experts in various fields through training workshops and open meetings.