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SAS Opens Riyadh Hub, Pledges $1bn to Boost AI Growth

SAS seeks to advance digital transformation through partnerships with Saudi government, private sector, and universities (Shutterstock)
SAS seeks to advance digital transformation through partnerships with Saudi government, private sector, and universities (Shutterstock)
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SAS Opens Riyadh Hub, Pledges $1bn to Boost AI Growth

SAS seeks to advance digital transformation through partnerships with Saudi government, private sector, and universities (Shutterstock)
SAS seeks to advance digital transformation through partnerships with Saudi government, private sector, and universities (Shutterstock)

Underscoring Saudi Arabia’s growing role as a regional center for innovation and digital transformation, SAS, a global leader in data and artificial intelligence (AI), announced the opening of its new Middle East and North Africa regional headquarters in Riyadh.

The announcement came during the SAS Innovate On Tour event in the Saudi capital, marking not only an expansion of the company’s operations but also a deepening commitment to supporting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which places data and AI at the heart of the country’s economic transformation and sustainable innovation agenda.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. James Goodnight, Chief Executive Officer of SAS, said the company brings over four decades of experience in analytics and AI, offering trusted capabilities that directly support Vision 2030’s ambitions across government, finance, healthcare, energy, and smart cities.

He noted that long-term impact for SAS is built on a sustained commitment to innovation. This includes a $1 billion investment in industry-specific AI solutions to ensure we remain at the forefront of technological progress and deliver advanced capabilities for years to come.

Regional Hub at the Heart of Transformation

SAS said its new regional headquarters in Riyadh reinforces its more than two-decade presence in the Kingdom and brings it closer to its network of partners and clients across the region.

“Saudi Arabia is rapidly emerging as a hub for innovation and digital transformation. By establishing our regional headquarters in Riyadh, we are positioning ourselves at the heart of this growth. Our investment underscores SAS’s belief in the Kingdom’s potential and our commitment to supporting Vision 2030,” said Alexander Tikhonov, Regional Director, Middle East Türkiye & Africa at SAS.

The new office will include leadership, customer engagement, consulting, and innovation divisions, serving as a collaborative center for key sectors such as banking, government, energy, utilities, and telecommunications.

“From Riyadh, SAS will partner with governments, enterprises, and academia across the Middle East to deliver cutting-edge AI and analytics solutions. This headquarters will also serve as a hub for knowledge sharing, skills development, and regional collaboration,” said Mohammed Kiki, SAS Country Manager for Saudi Arabia.

Empowering Vision 2030

Under Saudi Vision 2030, data, analytics, and AI are not viewed as supporting tools but as national pillars for building a sustainable knowledge-based economy.

Goodnight said SAS’s role in this landscape goes beyond technology, describing it as a strategic and developmental partnership with the Kingdom.

The company, he added, provides an integrated platform that supports secure data management, advanced analytics, model development and deployment, real-time decision-making, and AI governance — all key to achieving Vision 2030 objectives.

According to SAS, this comprehensive approach enables organizations to transform data into actionable insights that enhance decision-making and operational efficiency.

This vision is backed by a $1 billion global investment to accelerate the development of advanced analytics and AI solutions tailored to critical industries, including financial security, energy, healthcare, and public services.

Building Human Capital

SAS’s strategy in Saudi Arabia places strong emphasis on empowering national talent and building local capabilities in data and AI.

Goodnight said developing Saudi talent is one of the areas where the company can make the greatest impact. SAS collaborates with Saudi universities, government agencies, and private institutions to prepare young people for future careers through AI hackathons, academic training programs, and research grants.

Goodnight stressed that these initiatives aren’t side projects and are central to SAS’s mission of empowering the next generation of innovators who will drive the Kingdom’s knowledge economy.

Trust, Transparency, and Digital Sovereignty

As AI adoption accelerates globally, data governance and digital sovereignty have become critical, particularly in the public sector.

Goodnight emphasized that SAS technologies are designed to meet Saudi Arabia’s stringent regulatory and sovereignty requirements. The company’s solutions, he said, fully comply with national standards for data governance and sovereignty, providing organizations with clarity and confidence in building robust AI governance frameworks.

He added that SAS enables government entities to deploy transparent and interpretable AI systems under human oversight, ensuring that decisions align with national values and policies.

Goodnight affirmed that this approach reflects SAS’s commitment to advancing digital transformation in Saudi Arabia without compromising sovereignty or transparency.

This also aligns with the Kingdom’s push for a secure and responsible digital environment.

Cloud Readiness and Local Compliance

With the rapid shift toward cloud computing across Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors, SAS’s cloud-native platform SAS Viya offers a flexible and secure framework for deploying AI models in compliance with national regulations.

Goodnight said the platform allows public-sector leaders to enhance performance and reduce costs by optimizing cloud resources while ensuring full adherence to data sovereignty requirements.

He added that SAS works closely with global and local partners to align its cloud infrastructure with Saudi law, offering flexible deployment options — including local servers and private cloud — to ensure sensitive data remains within the Kingdom’s borders.

Technological progress must go hand-in-hand with responsibility, Goodnight noted, adding that SAS focuses deeply on developing transparent, explainable AI that operates under human supervision.

This approach aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader policy of promoting ethical AI and innovation governance, strengthening public trust in the Kingdom’s digital transformation and embedding transparency and accountability at the core of its technological future.

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Business

Global Unemployment ‘Stable’ in 2026, but Decent Jobs Lacking

A Palestinian employee inspects sweet locally known as "al-Shatwi" (Winter) Crimbo sweets, as the Al-Arees factory gradually resumes operations after a hiatus caused by the Gaza war which led to shortages of raw materials used in their products, in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on January 12, 2026, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)
A Palestinian employee inspects sweet locally known as "al-Shatwi" (Winter) Crimbo sweets, as the Al-Arees factory gradually resumes operations after a hiatus caused by the Gaza war which led to shortages of raw materials used in their products, in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on January 12, 2026, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)
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Global Unemployment ‘Stable’ in 2026, but Decent Jobs Lacking

A Palestinian employee inspects sweet locally known as "al-Shatwi" (Winter) Crimbo sweets, as the Al-Arees factory gradually resumes operations after a hiatus caused by the Gaza war which led to shortages of raw materials used in their products, in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on January 12, 2026, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)
A Palestinian employee inspects sweet locally known as "al-Shatwi" (Winter) Crimbo sweets, as the Al-Arees factory gradually resumes operations after a hiatus caused by the Gaza war which led to shortages of raw materials used in their products, in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on January 12, 2026, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)

The global unemployment rate is expected to hold steady in 2026, the United Nations said Wednesday, but cautioned the labor market's seeming stability belies a dire shortage of decent jobs.

The UN's International Labor Organization said the global economy and labor market appeared to have weathered recent economic shocks better than expected.

But the ILO warned that efforts to improve global job quality had stagnated, leaving hundreds of millions of workers wallowing in poverty, even as trade uncertainty risked cutting into workers wages.

The global unemployment rate was estimated at 4.9 percent last year and the year before, and is now projected to remain at a similar level until 2027, a report from the UN labor agency said.

That amounts to 186 million people out of work this year, it said.

"Global labor markets look stable, but that stability is quite fragile," Caroline Fredrickson, head of the ILO's research department, told reporters, cautioning that the "apparent calm masks deeper and unresolved problems".

At a time when US President Donald Trump has slapped towering tariffs on friends and foes alike, the report cautioned that "disruptions caused by trade uncertainty, combined with ongoing long-term transformations in global trade, could significantly affect labor market outcomes".

Going forward, the ILO said its modelling suggested that a moderate increase in trade policy uncertainty "may reduce returns to labor and, as a consequence, real wages for both skilled and unskilled workers across all sectors", especially in Southeast Asia, Southern Asia and Europe.

The potential of trade to generate new employment opportunities was also being challenged by the ongoing disruptions, the report said, pointing out that 465 million jobs globally depended on foreign demand through exports of goods and services and related supply chains in 2024.

- Extreme poverty -

Another major concern highlighted by the ILO was the quality of jobs available.

"Resilient growth and stable unemployment figures should not distract us from the deeper reality: hundreds of millions of workers remain trapped in poverty, informality, and exclusion," ILO chief Gilbert Houngbo said in a statement.

Nearly 300 million workers continue to live in extreme poverty, earning less than $3 a day, Wednesday's report found.

At the same time, some 2.1 billion workers are expected to hold informal jobs this year, with limited access to social protection, labor rights and job security.

Young people remain particularly vulnerable, with unemployment among 15- to 24-year-olds projected to reach 12.4 percent for 2025, with around 260 million young people not engaged in education, employment or training, ILO said.

It warned that artificial intelligence and automation could exacerbate challenges, particularly for educated young people in wealthier countries seeking their first high-skill jobs.

"While the full impact of AI on youth employment remains uncertain, its potential magnitude warrants close monitoring," the report said.

The ILO also highlighted "entrenched gender inequalities", pointing out that women still account for just two-fifths of global employment.

"Stable labor markets are not necessarily healthy," Fredrickson said, stressing the growing need for "domestic policy choices to strengthen decent work outcomes".

"Without decisive action, today's stability risks giving way to deeper inequalities."

Business

China Had a Record $1.2 Trillion Trade Surplus in 2025, as Exports Rose 6.6% in December

Women dressed in traditional Chinese-style attire cross a street in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)
Women dressed in traditional Chinese-style attire cross a street in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)
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China Had a Record $1.2 Trillion Trade Surplus in 2025, as Exports Rose 6.6% in December

Women dressed in traditional Chinese-style attire cross a street in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)
Women dressed in traditional Chinese-style attire cross a street in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)

China’s trade surplus surged to a record of almost $1.2 trillion in 2025, the government said Wednesday, as exports to other countries made up for slowing shipments to the United States.

China's exports rose 5.5% for the whole of last year to $3.77 trillion, customs data showed, while imports flatlined at $2.58 trillion. The 2024 trade surplus was over $992 billion.

In December, China’s exports climbed 6.6% from the year before in dollar terms, better than economists’ estimates and higher than November’s 5.9% year-on-year increase. Imports in December were up 5.7% year-on-year, compared to November’s 1.9%.

China’s trade surplus surpassed the $1 trillion mark for the first time in November, when the trade surplus reached $1.08 trillion in the first 11 months of last year.

Economists expect exports will continue to support China’s economy this year, despite trade friction and geopolitical tensions.

“We continue to expect exports to act as a big growth driver in 2026,” said Jacqueline Rong, chief China economist at BNP Paribas.

While China’s exports to the US have fallen sharply for most of last year since President Donald Trump returned to office and escalated his trade war with the world’s second-largest economy, that decline has been largely offset by shipments to other markets in South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe.

For the whole of 2025, China’s exports to the US fell 20%. In contrast, exports to Africa surged 26%. Those to Southeast Asian countries jumped 13%; to the European Union 8%, and to Latin America, 7%.

Strong global demand for computer chips and other devices and the materials needed to make them were among categories that supported China’s exports, analysts said. Car exports also grew last year.

China's strong exports have helped keep its economy growing at an annual rate close to its official target of about 5%. But that has triggered alarm in countries that fear a flood of cheap imports are damaging local industries.

China faces a “severe and complex” external trade environment in 2026, Wang Jun, vice minister of China’s customs administration, told reporters in Beijing. But he said China’s “foreign trade fundamentals remain solid.”

The head of the International Monetary Fund last month called for China to fix its economic imbalances and speed up its shift from reliance on exports by boosting domestic demand and investment.

A prolonged property downturn in China after the authorities cracked down on excessive borrowing, triggering defaults by many developers, is still weighing on consumer confidence and domestic demand.

China’s leaders have made increasing spending by consumers and businesses a focus of economic policy, but actions taken so far have had a limited impact. That included government trade-in subsidies over the past months that encouraged consumers to buy newer, more energy efficient items, such as home appliances and vehicles, and replace older models.

“We expect domestic demand growth to stay tepid,” said Rong of BNP Paribas. “In fact, the policy boost to domestic demand looks weaker than last year -- in particular the fiscal subsidy program for consumer goods.”

Gary Ng, a senior economist at French investment bank Natixis, forecasts that China’s exports will grow about 3% in 2026, less than the 5.5% growth in 2025. With slow import growth, he expects China's trade surplus to remain above $1 trillion this year.

Business

Saudi Arabia Signs Mineral Cooperation Deals with Chile, Canada, Brazil

The MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the Ministerial Roundtable of ministers concerned with mining affairs, held as part of the fifth annual Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh. (SPA)
The MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the Ministerial Roundtable of ministers concerned with mining affairs, held as part of the fifth annual Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Signs Mineral Cooperation Deals with Chile, Canada, Brazil

The MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the Ministerial Roundtable of ministers concerned with mining affairs, held as part of the fifth annual Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh. (SPA)
The MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the Ministerial Roundtable of ministers concerned with mining affairs, held as part of the fifth annual Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia, represented by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, signed on Tuesday three international memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on mineral resources cooperation with the Chile, Canada, and Brazil.

The MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the Ministerial Roundtable of ministers concerned with mining affairs, held as part of the fifth annual Future Minerals Forum (FMF), hosted by Riyadh from January 13 to 15.

The deals reflect the Kingdom’s efforts to expand its international partnerships and strengthen technical and investment cooperation in the mining and minerals sector in a manner that serves mutual interests and supports the sustainable development of mineral resources.

The signing ceremony included MoUs on cooperation in the mineral resources field with the Chilean Ministry of Mining, the Canadian Department of Natural Resources, and the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy.

The Ministerial Roundtable recorded the largest level of international representation of its kind globally, with participation from more than 100 countries, including all G20 members in addition to the European Union, as well as 59 multilateral organizations, industry associations, and non-governmental organizations.

The attendance reflects the standing the ministerial meeting has attained as a leading international platform for aligning perspectives, building partnerships, and developing practical solutions to global challenges in the mining and minerals sector.