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The first day of LEAP 2024 saw tech heavyweights unveil investments worth a combined USD 11.9 bn in the local tech sector, ICT Ministry said in a LinkedIn post yesterday.
Here’s everything you need to know:
#1- Amazon Web Services is injecting USD 5.3 bn into a “hyper-scale” cloud region in the Kingdom. Amazon joined Google parent company Alphabet and Microsoft in making Riyadh their regional headquarters last year. (Amazon statement)
Amazon will also invest in skills training programs in the Kingdom, set up two new innovation centers, and provide startups in the Middle East and North Africa with technical mentorship and trainings on technologies including artificial intelligence and machine learning.
#2- Riyadh-based DataVoltis pledging USD 5 bn to locally develop sustainable data centers, with a planned capacity of over 300 MW. The data services provider is currently operational in Riyadh, Dubai and California.
#3- ServiceNow is earmarking USD 500 mn to localize its cloud-based services here in the Kingdom. The NYSE-listed company is also hosting training and development initiatives aimed at upskilling local players in cloud-computing.
#4-IBM is investing a total of USD 250 mn to launch the first MENA software lab in the Kingdom,it said in a press release.
#5- Dell Technologies plans to establish a manufacturing, distribution, and order fulfillment hub in the Kingdom. This would be the first center of its kind in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey (META) regions.
#6- Aramco’s MetaBrain ia developing what it says is the world’s first industrial GenAI model. The model would be fed with Aramco data accumulated over the span of 90 years. Additionally, the state-owned oil giant is launching the Saudi Accelerated Innovation Lab (SAIL) in partnership with a number of government bodies.
#7- Cloud monitoring service Datadog has unveiled its plans to launch the first observability academyin the Kingdom — the first in the Middle East and Africa.
#8- Toshiba and Arabian Business Machines have inked an agreement to advance barcode printing technology, Saudi Gazette reports. Under the renewed partnership, Toshiba will introduce a new range of Barcode Printers known for their precision into the local market.
MEANWHILE- The Foreign Affairs Ministry has launched a matchmaking service that pairs Saudi nationals looking for employment with international organizations seeking to hire them, SPA reports.
ALSO- PIF-owned sustainable-tech manufacturing company Alat and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) have partner up to boost research, development, and innovation in the energy and and industry sectors in a bid to localize the semiconductor industry, Alat said in a statement. Alat will provide industrial facilities and will collaborate with KACST on research and training.
