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Saudi-Argentinian Agreement to Promote Direct Investment

The Saudi Minister of Investment signs MoU with Argentinian Minister of Foreign Affairs International Trade and Worship. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Minister of Investment signs MoU with Argentinian Minister of Foreign Affairs International Trade and Worship. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi-Argentinian Agreement to Promote Direct Investment

The Saudi Minister of Investment signs MoU with Argentinian Minister of Foreign Affairs International Trade and Worship. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Minister of Investment signs MoU with Argentinian Minister of Foreign Affairs International Trade and Worship. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid Al-Falih and Argentinian Minister of Foreign Affairs International Trade and Worship Santiago Andres Cafiero have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation to encourage direct investment between Saudi Arabia and Argentina.

The memorandum was reached during the Saudi delegation's visit to Latin American countries.

The ministers held a meeting in the attendance of several representatives from the private sector and Saudi and Argentinian companies.

Al-Falih and Cafiero discussed strengthening relations and boosting investment in the two countries through important projects in vital sectors and fields of joint interest.

The Saudi minister reviewed the Ministry's role in attracting investments, enabling sectors to grow, setting up regulations and policies, improving access to services through public-private sector partnerships, as well as carrying out the social and economic transformation envisaged in the Saudi Vision 2030.

The Ministry supports Saudi and foreign private sectors to develop and contribute to economic development and to make it easy to deal with the relevant authorities in the Kingdom and abroad.

Moreover, Al-Falih held a Saudi-Chilean investment roundtable meeting, in Chile's capital Santiago, that discussed investment opportunities and ways to advance the investment relationships between the two countries.

The meeting was held in the attendance of several government officials from both countries, in addition to the participation of the representatives of the private sector from the Kingdom and Chile.

During the meeting, the two countries discussed ways of enhancing the efforts to develop the economic and investment ties between Saudi Arabia and Chile. They also discussed ways to develop qualitative investments and empower the private sector to benefit from the investment opportunities of both countries.

The two sides have also discussed aspects of investment partnership in several fields with common interests, and ways to strengthen them.

Al-Falih has met with several Chilean ministers, such as Alberto van Klaveren, minister of foreign affairs, as well as Nicolás Grau, minister of economy, development, and tourism, in addition to Jessica Lopez Saffie, minister of public works.

The Saudi delegation also visited Paraguay to discuss reinforcing investments and to showcase the qualitative unprecedented opportunities of the Kingdom.

The Minister of Investment is heading a high-level delegation of a number of government agencies, national companies, and representatives of the private sector on an official tour to Latin American nations between July 31 and August 9.

The tour includes Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The tour aims to strengthen investment relations, review the existing strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Latin American countries, and highlight the qualitative and unprecedented opportunities that the Kingdom abounds in all fields.

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Business

Airbus Planning Record Commercial Aircraft Deliveries in 2026

An Airbus A350-1000 at the Singapore Airshow on February 4. The company said Thursday it aims to deliver a record number of aircraft this year. Roslan RAHMAN / AFP/File
An Airbus A350-1000 at the Singapore Airshow on February 4. The company said Thursday it aims to deliver a record number of aircraft this year. Roslan RAHMAN / AFP/File
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Airbus Planning Record Commercial Aircraft Deliveries in 2026

An Airbus A350-1000 at the Singapore Airshow on February 4. The company said Thursday it aims to deliver a record number of aircraft this year. Roslan RAHMAN / AFP/File
An Airbus A350-1000 at the Singapore Airshow on February 4. The company said Thursday it aims to deliver a record number of aircraft this year. Roslan RAHMAN / AFP/File

Plane maker Airbus aims to deliver a record number of commercial aircraft this year, the company said Thursday, capitalizing on "strong demand" and a jump in profit in 2025.

"2025 was a landmark year, characterized by very strong demand for our products and services across all businesses," CEO Guillaume Faury said in a press release announcing annual results.

The European manufacturer said it received 1,000 orders for commercial planes in 2025, with net orders of 889 after taking cancellations into account, and 793 delivered.

Last year, its overall profit jumped 23 percent to 5.2 billion euros ($6.1 billion).

The company said it is targeting "around 870 commercial aircraft deliveries" this year.

"As the basis for its 2026 guidance, the Company assumes no additional disruptions to global trade or the world economy, air traffic, the supply chain, its internal operations, and its ability to deliver products and services," it said in its outlook.

Both Airbus and its rival Boeing have struggled to return to pre-pandemic production levels after their entire network of suppliers was disrupted, even as airlines are eager to modernize their fleets with more fuel-efficient aircraft and expand to meet an expected increase in passenger numbers over the coming decades.

Business

Saudi Arabia's Humain Invests $3 Bn in Musk's xAI

The logo of the Saudi company Humain. Asharq Al-Awsat
The logo of the Saudi company Humain. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia's Humain Invests $3 Bn in Musk's xAI

The logo of the Saudi company Humain. Asharq Al-Awsat
The logo of the Saudi company Humain. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia's artificial intelligence firm Humain said Wednesday it had invested $3 billion in US billionaire Elon Musk's xAI.

The investment made Humain a "significant minority shareholder,” the company said in a statement.

It added that its xAI holdings would be "converted into SpaceX shares" after the rocket company announced it was taking over the AI start-up earlier this month as Musk pushes to unify his many business interests.

CEO Tareq Amin said the latest investment “reflects Humain’s conviction in transformational AI and our ability to deploy meaningful capital behind exceptional opportunities where long-term vision, technical excellence, and execution converge, xAI’s trajectory, further strengthened by its acquisition by SpaceX, one of the largest technology mergers on record, represents the kind of high-impact platform we seek to support with significant capital.”

Musk's xAI had previously announced in November it was teaming up with Humain to build a 500-megawatt data center in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi firm also inked a new deal with Nvidia.

Business

Microsoft Arabia: Saudi Arabia Accelerates AI Adoption, Turns It Into Competitive Edge

A Microsoft logo is seen a day after Microsoft Corp's $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn Corp, in Los Angeles, California, US, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
A Microsoft logo is seen a day after Microsoft Corp's $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn Corp, in Los Angeles, California, US, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
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Microsoft Arabia: Saudi Arabia Accelerates AI Adoption, Turns It Into Competitive Edge

A Microsoft logo is seen a day after Microsoft Corp's $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn Corp, in Los Angeles, California, US, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
A Microsoft logo is seen a day after Microsoft Corp's $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn Corp, in Los Angeles, California, US, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Saudi Arabia has cemented its global standing in artificial intelligence after pouring significant investments into the sector in 2025, accelerating digital transformation and expanding real-world applications across government and the wider economy.

From education and manufacturing to energy and public services, AI is being deployed to advance the diversification goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Turki Badhris, president of Microsoft Arabia, said the kingdom is experiencing unprecedented momentum in adopting AI as a strategic lever to raise competitiveness and improve performance across vital sectors.

Artificial intelligence has become central to the national transformation journey, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Linking transformation

Saudi Arabia’s overhaul spans digital government modernization, the construction of megacities and large-scale projects, industrial development, and the creation of new economic sectors, Badhris said.

AI, he added, is the connective tissue binding these efforts together by enabling smarter infrastructure and more efficient public services.

In 2025, Microsoft expanded cooperation with government and regulatory bodies, as well as major companies, to accelerate the adoption of AI and cloud computing across education, industry, financial services, and government operations.

Turning point year

Badhris described 2025 as a watershed for AI in the kingdom, marked by a shift to broad, sector-wide deployment.

In digital government, training programs implemented with the Digital Government Authority aim to equip more than 100,000 public sector employees with cloud and AI skills, enhancing service delivery and user experience.

In education, AI literacy initiatives have been scaled up in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, alongside the rollout of generative AI tools and digital learning technologies in schools.

Manufacturers have adopted AI-driven predictive maintenance and real-time operational data analysis, cutting downtime and improving efficiency and reliability.

In energy and sustainability, AI solutions are being used to optimize water and energy asset management, including predictive maintenance and intelligent process control, delivering operational savings while supporting emissions reduction and sustainability targets.

Sovereign cloud push

Badhris said the launch of Microsoft’s cloud region in Saudi Arabia, planned for 2026, will mark a qualitative leap by allowing government entities and regulated sectors to run critical workloads in a secure local environment, ensuring data sovereignty and enabling low-latency innovation.

He added that regulatory frameworks developed by relevant authorities have bolstered trust in AI adoption by balancing individual protection with incentives for innovation.

From tools to partners

Looking ahead, Badhris said 2026 will see AI evolve from support tools into “work partners” capable of collaboration and initiative in complex tasks.

The shift will be felt across government services, industry, megaprojects such as Qiddiya and The Red Sea Project, and healthcare.

Advanced AI systems, he said, will sharpen operational efficiency, lift productivity, and enhance service quality, while moving from reactive oversight to proactive governance frameworks that ensure safe and responsible use.

Saudi Arabia, Badhris said, is not simply adopting AI but helping shape its future, investing in sovereign infrastructure, building national capabilities, and embedding responsible-use principles to drive sustainable economic growth and entrench its position as a global technology power.