Recently, the LEAP2025 flagship event officially launched in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, gathering global technology and innovation leaders. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the first day of the event announced investments and projects totaling over $14.9 billion in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), marking Saudi Arabia's leading position in shaping the global digital future.
This investment will promote the development of digital skills, support the growth of tech startups, and inspire innovation within Saudi Arabia. These initiatives further solidify Saudi Arabia's status as the largest digital economy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region while providing a thriving environment for global tech companies.
The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah Al-Swaha, announced this important news in his keynote speech. The theme of LEAP2025 is "Entering a New World," and the exhibition will continue until Wednesday. Minister Al-Swaha emphasized that the support from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman provides strong backing for these investments and initiatives.
Al-Swaha stated, "These initiatives are crucial for enhancing the strength of the technology sector and accelerating Saudi Arabia's transition to an innovative, AI-driven economy, closely aligning with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030."
This event is hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), and Tahaluf, with support from the event's investment fund. The investment announcements on the first day included several significant initiatives:
- Groq and Aramco Digital: Investing $1.5 billion to expand AI cloud computing, making Saudi Arabia a global leader in the field of AI.
- Alat and Lenovo: Investing $2 billion to establish an advanced manufacturing and technology center based on AI and robotics in Saudi Arabia, and to set up Lenovo's regional headquarters in Riyadh.
- Google: Planning to establish a global AI center in Saudi Arabia, investing in AI infrastructure to meet regional and international demands.
- Qualcomm: Introducing the ALLaM language model on Qualcomm's AI cloud, advancing cloud-based AI solutions along with the ALLaM AI PC.
- Alibaba Cloud: Collaborating with Tuwaiq Academy and STC to develop AI empowerment programs to cultivate local talent and support a sustainable digital future.
- Databricks: Committing $300 million for platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solutions to enhance data engineering and AI expertise.
- SambaNova: Committing $140 million to enhance advanced AI infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
- KKR and Gulf Data Center: Making significant investments in the development of data centers in Saudi Arabia, with a capacity of up to 300 megawatts.
- Salesforce: Committing $500 million to expand its Hyperforce platform in Saudi Arabia.
- Tencent Cloud: Investing $150 million to establish the first cloud region in the Middle East, launching integrated AI features from Saudi Arabia.
These investment plans lay a solid foundation for Saudi Arabia's digital future, further advancing the country's leadership in global technological innovation and AI.
