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  • Microsoft aims to add $24B to Saudi GDP over 4 years

    Microsoft and its partners will inject an additional $24 billion boost to the Saudi gross domestic product (GDP) over the next four years, on top of their contributions in 2022, Turki Badhris, Head of Microsoft Arabia, said in an interview with Asharq Business with Bloomberg. The data centers that were announced in Saudi Arabia, on the sidelines of the LEAP 2023 conference, are progressing rapidly, with three expected to be operational by 2026, he noted. The company's "Alliance for Innovation" initiative launched a year ago has been able to achieve its target and attracted 80 partners to Riyadh's Microsoft, Badhris addd, noting that many of them are already relocating their headquarters to Saudi Arabia.

  • Saudi Arabia’s population surges 4.7% to 35.3M in H1 2024

    Saudi Arabia's population grew at an annual rate of 4.7% to stand at 35.3 million by the end of the first half of 2024. In 2024, Saudi residents exceeded a tally of 19.6 million, while non-Saudi residents totaled approximately 15.7 million, a recent bulletin from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) reported. According to the GASTAT’s estimates, the Saudi population growth reached about 1.6 million people compared to mid-2023, when the growth rate amounted to about 33.7 million people. Saudis accounted for 24.4% of this increase, while males made up roughly 70.8% of the total population growth. The number of Saudis grew by approximately 389,300 people compared to 2023, while the non-Saudi population added around 1.21 million.

  • Saudi Sports for All Federation Unveils Riyadh Marathon Route, Venues, and Sponsors for Inaugural SFA International Sporting Events

    The SFA Expo will serve as the marathon’s bib collection hub and will feature interactive zones focused on sports, health, and fitness, showcasing cutting-edge equipment, wellness activities, and emerging technologies. The event will also include a B2B lounge for industry networking, and workshops on mindfulness and nutrition. Another highlight will be the Primal Race on Friday, February 7, a functional fitness challenge featuring a series of high-intensity activities interspersed with 400m group runs.

  • Saudi Aramco Joins The Open Group as Platinum Member

    The Open Group, the vendor-neutral technology standards organization, has today announced that Saudi Aramco has become its latest Platinum Member. In this capacity, Saudi Aramco will have the opportunity to expand its presence across The Open Group Forums, take a leadership position, and have representation on the Governing Board. Saudi Aramco first joined The Open Group in 2016 as a Member of the Open Process Automation™ Forum (OPAF). The company has since collaborated with industry leaders on an O-PAS™ Automation Test Bed, assessing and validating next-generation open and interoperable technologies. In 2020, Saudi Aramco also became a member of The Open Group OSDU® Forum, joining industry peers in developing transformational technology to support the world’s changing energy needs.

  • Saudi Arabia’s Billion-Dollar VC Boom: How SVC Is Shaping The Kingdom’s Financial Future

    Saudi Arabia has solidified its position as the top destination for venture capital (VC) investments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for the second consecutive year. According to data from MAGNiTT, the Kingdom secured $750 million in VC funding in 2024, accounting for 40 percent of total regional VC capital. The nation also witnessed a 16 percent increase in deal flow, closing 178 deals—the highest in the region. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) followed with $613 million in VC investments across 188 deals, leading the region in deal volume and achieving 12 exits.

  • Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Haifaa Al Mansour’s Saudi Thriller ‘Unidentified’

    Sony Pictures Classics has acquired “Unidentified,” the latest feature from groundbreaking Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour. The film reunites Al Mansour with SPC 13 years after it came aboard her landmark 2012 debut “Wadjda,” which became the first feature to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, the first feature shot by a female Saudi director and the first Saudi Oscar submission. Currently in post-production and described as a contemporary Arab-language thriller, “Unidentified” — written and produced by Al Mansour and Brad Niemann (“The Perfect Candidate”) — stars Mila Al Zahrani (“The Perfect Candidate”) and Shafi Al Harthi (“A Woman’s Life”).

  • Oil prices attempt to bounce off 2025 lows after Saudi Arabia raises crude prices

    Oil futures ticked higher early Thursday, seeing a modest bounce off 2025 lows after Saudi Arabia's state-owned petroleum company significantly raised physical crude prices for Asia. WTI and Brent ended Wednesday at their lowest since December, sinking on worries over U.S. tariffs on China and data that showed a large jump in U.S. crude inventories last week. Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company, on Thursday said it had significantly raised the price of physical crude for Asian buyers. Aramco raised the March price of its flagship Arab light crude to Asia to $3.90 a barrel over the Oman/Dubai crude benchmark, an increase of $2.90 a barrel from February.

  • Saudi Arabia removes restrictions on foreign on-demand charter flights

    The move builds on impressive growth in Saudi’s private aviation market with 23, 612 business jet flights recorded in 2024, an increase of more than 4,600 flights on 2923 figures. Domestic flights accounted to 9,206 (+26% on 2023) movements last year. In line with Saudi Arabia’s aviation strategy as part of Vision 2030, GACA’s General Aviation Roadmap was launched in May 2024 to establish the country as a general aviation hub in the region. There is currently an unprecedented infrastructure programme underway to establish new private airports and terminals across the Kingdom. GACA’s roadmap will deliver six dedicated business aviation airports and a further nine dedicated business aviation hubs. It will also increase the FBO and MRO capacity for business jets.

  • King Salman, Crown Prince put Saudi back on track: Prince Alwaleed

    He expressed optimism about Saudi Arabia’s progress, highlighting that his investments span various sectors, including tourism, hotel management, commercial real estate, industrial projects, etc. The Crown Prince possesses boundless energy, and foresight, and is a strong strategist for the coming years, Prince Alwaleed said, adding that long-term planning for 10-15 years ahead is an essential quality for any leader.

  • Characterization of paleodrainages in desert regions of Saudi Arabia multisatellite images with field based study

    In Saudi Arabia, a number of linear geomorphological features with uncertain origin have been observed from space, but they do not belong to any existed drainage systems. They are ancient watercourses carried water in the past during the Holocene deluge, and they were affected by global climate change and geological processes turning them into dry and buried channels filled by sediments, and these are described as “Paleodrainages”.