Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Saudi Arabia’s investment minister told Davos the AI race is accelerating and no single nation will dominate. Emphasizing global diffusion and strategic optionality, he outlined the Kingdom’s energy-backed AI ambitions, cross-border data strategy, and early leadership on digital embassies to safeguard sovereignty in a multipolar AI future.
Saudia and the Saudi Tourism Authority helped bring 27 million international visitors to the Kingdom in 2025. A new “Spirit of Saudi” Boeing 787-9 will serve 25 global destinations in 2026, promoting Saudi hospitality and supporting Vision 2030 goals to reach 150 million tourists by 2030.
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its push for sovereign AI by localising data centres, servers and manufacturing. Lenovo’s Lawrence Yu says building and operating AI infrastructure in the Kingdom ensures data control, security and scale, backed by a $2 billion Alat investment, a Riyadh HQ and a factory opening in 2026.
SentinelOne has launched its AI-native Singularity Platform on Google Cloud in Saudi Arabia, hosted in the Dammam region. The deployment keeps all security data within national borders, supporting PDPL and NCA compliance, reducing latency, and enabling real-time, autonomous threat detection for government, finance, and critical infrastructure sectors.
The Esports World Cup 2026 will feature a record $75m prize pool, with $30m dedicated to the Club Championship and $7m for the winning Club. Hosted in Riyadh over seven weeks, the event will unite 2,000 players across 24 titles, cementing Saudi Arabia’s role in global esports.
Saudi Arabia launched an online system for licensed hotels in Mecca and Medina to increase bed capacity for Hajj 2026, streamlining applications to improve pilgrim accommodations.