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  • Google Cloud and Accenture launch Generative AI Center of Excellence in Saudi Arabia

    Google Cloud and Accenture are extending their pan-global Generative AI collaboration into the Saudi market, launching their latest Center of Excellence in the Kingdom’s capital city. First launched late 2023 in the US, the Generative AI Center of Excellence of Accenture and Google Cloud provides businesses with the industry expertise, technical knowledge, and product resources to build and scale applications using Google Cloud’s generative AI portfolio and accelerate time-to-value. Fast forward to today, and Accenture and Google Cloud have setup over a dozen such Generative AI Center of Excellences, including in New York, London, Bengaluru, and Sydney. Now, Saudi Arabia has been unveiled as the next location (and first in the Middle East), with the initiative set to provide a major boost to the Kingdom’s generative AI scene.

  • Salesforce pledges $500 million investments in Saudi Arabia

    Salesforce today announced plans to invest $500 million in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, building on its commitment to innovation and economic growth in the region. The investment also aims to spur workforce development through AI skilling and expand Salesforce's local partner ecosystem to support local businesses. The announcement, made today at LEAP 2025, follows the company's Davos pledge to expand its presence in Saudi Arabia with new regional headquarters in Riyadh. The increasing adoption of Agentforce, Salesforce's digital labor platform, by businesses in the region underscores the growing demand for AI-driven solutions and reinforces Salesforce's commitment to this technology in the Kingdom.

  • IBM watsonx to Support AI Initiative in Saudi Arabia: Stock to Gain?

    International Business Machines Corporation IBM recently announced that it has joined forces with Lenovo to support and accelerate the development of generative-AI infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Lenovo, a global technology juggernaut, boasts an extensive portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-optimized products that include smartphones, PCs, workstations and infrastructures, like servers, storage, high-performance computing and software-defined infrastructure. IBM is the leader in the AI space and its robust portfolio of watsonx AI products expedites the impact of generative AI in critical workflows to boost productivity.

  • Inaugural Olympic Esports Games to be held in 2027 in Saudi Arabia

    The first Olympic Esports Games will be held in two years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday, as part of a 12-year-deal with the country signed last year. The IOC has been looking into Esports for several years, forming a dedicated commission to find opportunities to tap into a younger generation involved with gaming. With its traditional audience base gradually ageing, the governing body is trying to connect with a younger generation of potential Olympics fans. In 2021, it developed the Olympic virtual series, a pilot venture in Esports before signing the deal with Saudi Arabia last year for hosting the Olympic Esports Games.

  • Salesforce plans $500 million in AI-related investments in Saudi Arabia

    Cloud software seller Salesforce said on Monday that it plans to invest $500 million in Saudi Arabia related to artificial intelligence, as countries compete to secure investments in the nascent but critical technology. As part of the investment, Salesforce will introduce Hyperforce, its platform architecture delivered through a strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services, in the country.

  • Saudi Arabia attracts $14.9 billion investments in AI as LEAP25 kicks off in Riyadh

    In his keynote speech, Alswaha emphasized that these significant investments and initiatives were made possible through the support and empowerment of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. These initiatives aimed to enable the technology sector and accelerate Saudi Arabia’s transition toward an innovative and sustainable AI-driven economy, in line with Vision 2030 objectives. Al-Swaha said that the region is witnessing rapid transformations in the digital economy sector, as it has grown by 73 percent to reach $260 billion, with Saudi Arabia accounting for 50 percent of this growth, making it one of the leading countries in this field. The number of technical specialists has increased from 150,000 to 381,000, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s rapid growth in the fields of technology and innovation. Al-Swaha highlighted the importance of bridging the digital gap between nations during what has become known as the “smart era,” and explained the role the Kingdom plays in empowering women in the field of technology. “In the smart era, the gap between the Global North and South will grow and worsen, as only one to two billion people are expected to join this exclusive club, while 6.5 billion people will be left behind by 2030.”

  • Saudi Arabia Gears Up to Host the Fourth Edition of the Saudi Media Forum 2025

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is gearing up to host the fourth edition of the Saudi Media Forum 2025, set to take place in the capital, Riyadh, from February 19 to 21. This prestigious event reaffirms its status as the largest media gathering in the region and a global platform that unites top decision-makers, industry experts, and innovators in the media sector.

  • Commentary: Why Saudi Arabia insists on a Palestinian state

    However, it is often overlooked that Saudi Arabia is not an emotional state and its policies are not based on reactive measures. Instead, the country operates according to a strategic vision that prioritizes its national security first and the broader Arab national security second. Consequently, Riyadh has not limited itself to narrow calculations but has instead considered the larger context of the Middle East. It recognizes the genuine threat posed by aggressive Israeli policies, understanding that the destruction of Gaza, assaults on the West Bank and the displacement of Palestinians will not lead to peace. Rather, these actions are likely to foster further extremism and violence, potentially creating a new generation that is willing to take up arms against Israel — not only within the Occupied Territories but also among sympathizers from various countries around the world, which could lead to wider conflicts.

  • Chinese EV startup Rox Motor expands into Saudi Arabia

    Chinese electric vehicle (EV) startup Rox Motor has expanded into the Saudi market as it focuses its resources overseas. The company announced its official entry into the Saudi market with its all-terrain SUV (sport utility vehicle) Rox 01 at the LEAP 2025 event, which kicked off on February 9, according to a press release today. Rox Motor has secured more than 200 orders in Saudi Arabia and sales are ongoing, it said. The brand's flagship Saudi showroom on Khurais Road will open later this month.

  • Saudi Arabia appreciates condemnations of Netanyahu proposal for Palestinian state in Kingdom

    Saudi Arabia has expressed its appreciation of the positions adopted by Arab and Islamic countries in condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians and establish a state for them in the Kingdom. “The Kingdom values the positions that emphasise the centrality of the Palestinian issue to the Arab and Muslim countries,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh on Sunday. “This extremist, occupation mentality does not understand what the Palestinian land means to the people of Palestine and their emotional, historical and legal connection to it.” The ministry pointed out that such statements are rejected, and aim to divert attention from the Israeli occupation regime’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza, especially the ethnic cleansing.