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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

Syria's Wheat Harvest Expected to More Than Double this Year

FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows a land that was planted with wheat and has been harvested, in Qamishli, Syria August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows a land that was planted with wheat and has been harvested, in Qamishli, Syria August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo
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Syria's Wheat Harvest Expected to More Than Double this Year

FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows a land that was planted with wheat and has been harvested, in Qamishli, Syria August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows a land that was planted with wheat and has been harvested, in Qamishli, Syria August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo

Syria's wheat production is expected to more than double this year, authorities said, bolstered by heavier rains and the state's recapture of a northeastern breadbasket region from Kurdish forces — but demand has grown in parallel.

The agriculture ministry estimates a harvest between 2.3 million and 2.5 million metric tons of wheat this year, senior ministry official Ahmed Jalal Al-Ahmad told Reuters. Last year's production stood at around 900,000 metric tons.

"We were blessed with a bountiful harvest season," Ahmad said.

Production increased partly "due to a season of heavy rainfall", a surprise turnaround after last year's historic drought slashed wheat production and threatened a food crisis.

Ahmad said the harvest projection was also higher because the count included contributions from northern ⁠and northeastern provinces, held ⁠for years by Kurdish authorities but now merged into state control after an offensive by Syrian government troops.

The contributions from three recaptured provinces make up more than half of the expected production, with Hasakah expected to yield around 800,000 tons, Raqqa 300,000 tons and Deir Ezzor about 250,000 tons, he added.

"These 1.5 million tons represent the real difference in the increased production this season compared to last year."

In the years leading up to the government's takeover, wheat production in these regions suffered from ⁠prolonged droughts and constant fighting between the various factions controlling them.

Despite the stellar harvest, Syria will still need to import some of its wheat, as the country requires around 4 million tons a year, Ahmad said.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians who fled the country during its nearly 14-year war have returned after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad

"We may always need to import during this period until we reach full recovery to meet market demand, especially for soft wheat used in bread production," Ahmad said.

He said the agriculture ministry was working to expand grain infrastructure in the north and northeast, planning to add more than 15 grain centers in Hasakah, Raqqa, Deir Ezzor and the Aleppo countryside.

The state ⁠buys and sells ⁠domestic wheat through the Syrian Grain Establishment and set a price of $380 per ton this year, with an incentive bonus of about $70 per ton delivered, according to Syrian state media.

The government has launched a new electronic platform to organize the purchases and set appointments for farmers to deliver their produce to grain centers. However, it has drawn the ire of producers who say the system is disconnected from local needs and realities on the ground.

"Booking platforms don't suit the agricultural fields," farmer Abdullah Al-Issa said. "The size of the platforms is one thing, the reality is another, the offices are another, and the farmer's reality is something else entirely."

Issa also complained about this year's low wheat prices compared with last year. In 2025, the government's incentive bonus was $130 for every ton delivered.

"The prices aren't commensurate with the wheat's value; they're very low," he said.

Business

Iraq to Export Crude, Naphtha through Syria after Hormuz Shock

A pump jack operates near a crude oil reserve in the Permian Basin oil field near Midland, Texas, US February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Eli Hartman/File Photo
A pump jack operates near a crude oil reserve in the Permian Basin oil field near Midland, Texas, US February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Eli Hartman/File Photo
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Iraq to Export Crude, Naphtha through Syria after Hormuz Shock

A pump jack operates near a crude oil reserve in the Permian Basin oil field near Midland, Texas, US February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Eli Hartman/File Photo
A pump jack operates near a crude oil reserve in the Permian Basin oil field near Midland, Texas, US February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Eli Hartman/File Photo

Iraq is preparing to export crude oil and naphtha through ports in Syria, Syrian and Iraqi energy officials and refinery sources said after the Iran war cut off its main Gulf shipping routes.

The move would broaden an arrangement that has seen Iraq export fuel oil through the Mediterranean port of Baniyas after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which sharply curtailed Gulf export routes for OPEC's second-largest producer.

Two Iraqi oil officials said plans to diversify crude and fuel export routes, including through Syria, would continue even after the Iran war ends and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal, as part of a government-approved strategy to reduce Iraq's reliance on a single export corridor.

"The Iraqi government and the oil ministry attach the highest importance to diversifying crude export routes, particularly through Syrian territory," Iraqi oil ministry spokesperson Saleem al-Rikabi told Reuters.

Rikabi said the oil ministry, through state oil marketer SOMO, was continuing "discussions and cooperation" with Syria to expand exports through its western neighbor.

Iraq ‌normally exports a ‌total of around 3.6 million barrels of oil per day and before the Iran war around ‌3.4 ⁠million bpd flowed through ⁠its southern Basra terminals.

Mohammed Al-Ahdab, head of the media office at Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC), said the operation and offloading were continuing, despite the anticipated opening of the strait.

Before the disruption caused by the Iran war, Iraq mainly exported its fuel oil from the Gulf port of Khor al-Zubair, but the conflict has forced it to seek alternative routes after the strait was closed and storage facilities began filling up.

The initial work-around, which began operating in April, saw millions of barrels of Iraqi fuel oil trucked across Syria to Baniyas and re-exported from there.

Syria plans to open two extra unloading areas and other facilities in Baniyas within a week to handle Iraqi crude oil and naphtha, a Syrian energy ministry official said. ⁠Ahdab said Baniyas can now unload an average of 900 tanker-trucks per day.

Crude could begin crossing ‌from Iraq to Syria at around 50,000 barrels per day once the loading installations ‌are ready, the two Iraqi oil ministry officials said. There were no immediate details on planned levels of naphtha exports.

Tanker-truck exports are expected to begin ‌in early July, Syrian and Iraqi officials said, while SOMO is set to open offices in Baniyas.

FEE INCOME FOR SYRIA

In April, SOMO ‌awarded contracts to supply about 650,000 metric tons of fuel oil per month from April to June to be trucked overland via Syria. Iraq exported a record 18 million tons of fuel oil in 2024, equivalent to roughly 1.5 million tons per month, with the best available data for 2025 showing they were near the levels reached in late 2024.

SPC Deputy CEO Ahmad Kobbaji told Reuters in May that Syria had limited infrastructure but was increasing its ‌unloading and re-export capacity for Iraqi fuel products.

Under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria is seeking to reintegrate into the regional and global economy after decades of Assad family rule and nearly 14 years ⁠of war devastated its economy and ⁠left it politically and financially isolated.

Syria is earning transit fees from the fuel oil shipments, paid through buyers and intermediaries rather than directly by SOMO, the Iraqi oil ministry officials said. Reuters was unable to determine what Syria was earning or how fees were collected.

Iraqi fuel oil shipped via Syria had reached destinations across Africa and Europe, with the latest tanker arriving in Alexandria, Egypt, on June 9, LSEG shipping data showed.

IRAQ KEEN TO EXPORT, DESPITE RISKS

The route to Baniyas is fraught with challenges, with highways damaged by years of war, and Reuters reporters saw lines of Iraqi tankers stretching for more than 30 km (19 miles) along the road to the port.

In June, two Iraqi fuel tankers collided near Homs, spilling thousands of liters of fuel, while protesters in northeast Syria blocked Iraqi tankers to protest against rising fuel prices and deteriorating living conditions.

A source at the Baniyas facility with direct knowledge of the transfers said the Iraqi fuel oil is not processed at the refinery. Instead, tanker trucks unload at a marine platform connected to storage tanks north of the refinery, from where the fuel is pumped directly to waiting export tankers.

Meanwhile, Syria is working on reviving war-damaged pipelines to replace the tanker route, SPC's Kobbaji said in May. The Iraq-Syria oil pipeline can pump up to 300,000 barrels per day, the Syrian energy ministry official said.

Business

Kuwait Offers Crude for July Delivery after Lifting Force Majeure

A boat sails in the Gulf waters as the sun sets behind Kuwait City's landmark Kuwait Towers on June 9, 2026. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
A boat sails in the Gulf waters as the sun sets behind Kuwait City's landmark Kuwait Towers on June 9, 2026. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
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Kuwait Offers Crude for July Delivery after Lifting Force Majeure

A boat sails in the Gulf waters as the sun sets behind Kuwait City's landmark Kuwait Towers on June 9, 2026. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
A boat sails in the Gulf waters as the sun sets behind Kuwait City's landmark Kuwait Towers on June 9, 2026. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)

Kuwait Petroleum Corp is offering crude for July delivery via a tender, a document showed on Friday, after lifting force majeure and announcing plans to ramp up output.

The producer is offering Kuwait Export Crude with each cargo at 2 million barrels, according to the document.

They will be sold at a differential to the average Oman and Dubai price quotes on a delivered ex-ship basis, Reuters quoted it as saying.

The tender will close on Tuesday with bids ⁠remaining valid until Wednesday.

KPC ⁠said on Thursday that all force majeure notices issued during the US-Israeli war on Iran have been lifted with immediate effect, the government communication center reported on X.

The country's oil production would increase to 2 million barrels per day (bpd) ⁠within a week, coinciding with the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and resumption of commercial shipping, it added.

Kuwait exported about 1.2 million bpd of crude on average in the first two months of this year, which plummeted to near zero in April, data from shiptracker Kpler showed.

Last week, KPC sold 4 million barrels of crude for June delivery via a tender.

The cargoes were loaded via STS at Oman's Sohar area onto Very Large Crude Carriers Sea Ruby and Maran Atalanta, which are heading to China, Kpler data showed.