LEAP 2025, held from February 9-12 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre in Saudi Arabia, convened over 680 startups, 1,000+ speakers, 1,800+ global brands, and attracted more than 170,000 visitors under the theme “Towards New Worlds.”
On the opening day, Saudi Arabia announced investments and projects exceeding $14.9 billion in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, aiming to solidify its position as a global leader in shaping the digital future. These initiatives are designed to enhance digital skills, support the growth of emerging tech companies, and foster innovation within the nation.
Abdullah Alswaha, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, emphasized the significance of these initiatives, stating, “These initiatives are critical to empower the technology sector and accelerate Saudi Arabia’s transition to an innovative economy driven by artificial intelligence. They are also aligned with the goals of Vision 2030.”
Key initiatives benefiting from these investments include:
- Groq & Aramco Digital: Collaborating to expand AI-driven cloud computing capabilities.
- Alat & Lenovo: Establishing an advanced manufacturing and technology center focused on AI and robotics, and setting up Lenovo’s regional headquarters in Riyadh.
- Google: Planning to launch a global AI hub in the region to meet both regional and international demand through investment in AI infrastructure.
- Qualcomm: Introducing the ALLaM language model in Qualcomm AI Cloud, along with ALLaM AI PC, to power cloud-based AI solutions.
- Alibaba Cloud: Partnering with Tuwaiq Academy and STC to launch an AI empowerment program aimed at training local talent and supporting a sustainable digital future.
- Databricks: Committing $300 million to platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solutions to foster data engineering and AI expertise.
- SambaNova: Pledging $140 million to enhance advanced AI infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
- KKR and Gulf Data Hub: Investing significantly in developing a data center in Saudi Arabia with a capacity of up to 300 megawatts.
- Salesforce: Committing $500 million to expand its Hyperforce platform in the region.
- Tencent Cloud: Investing $150 million to establish its first cloud region in the Middle East and launch integrated AI capabilities from the area.
These developments underscore Saudi Arabia’s emergence as the largest digital economy in the Middle East and North Africa, creating an ideal environment for global technology companies. For companies like Plain Concepts, entering this region presents significant opportunities for growth in a rapidly expanding market, fostering partnerships, and advancing technological expertise. This marks the beginning of numerous initiatives aimed at leveraging experience in a market with substantial growth potential.
Read more at: https://www.plainconcepts.com/leap-2025-riyadh-summary/
