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Saudi Arabia to Organize Landmark Event to Encourage Investment in Emerging Technologies

The Kingdom to host the landmark event, "Leap" (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Kingdom to host the landmark event, "Leap" (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia to Organize Landmark Event to Encourage Investment in Emerging Technologies

The Kingdom to host the landmark event, "Leap" (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Kingdom to host the landmark event, "Leap" (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to host LEAP 2021, a landmark technology event to support its Vision 2030’s goals to transform the country into a diversified, knowledge-based economy and boost foreign investment in this vital sector.

The digital economy in the Kingdom tends to contribute to its non-oil GDP by three percent.

Powered by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and organized by Informa Tech, the event will take place from February 1-3 next year at the Kingdom’s largest Riyadh Front Exhibition Center.

LEAP is an initiative to transform the national economy and Saudi Arabia’s position as a visionary tech hub connecting three continents with the global industry.

Backed by the government, major investors, and mega infrastructure projects, LEAP aims to reform business opportunities and empower the funding of ideas and nurturing of tech start-ups – from Saudi Arabia to San Francisco, and everywhere in between.

LEAP arrives as Saudi’s investment in the domestic and international start up ecosystem is forecast to exceed the multi billion dollars mark in coming years, with Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC), a government-backed venture capitalist, pledging $750 million to stimulate new businesses in the Kingdom; Saudi Technology Ventures (STV), the Middle East’s largest venture capital fund, launching a $500 million tech fund to back start up founders, young entrepreneurs and Public Investment Fund (PIF) reporting over $50billion to invest in emerging technology.

“LEAP will cause a revelation in the technology sector at the local, regional and global levels,” said Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah al-Swaha.

The Kingdom will attract pioneering contributions to the most prominent technical innovations and the most important sources of investment and financing, he added, noting that it comes in line with the directives issued to mobilize all potentials and accelerate the development of this sector due to its direct impact and contribution to stimulating affiliated sectors and achieving the government’s goals to develop a diversified knowledge-based economy.

“LEAP will be a key factor in growing the IT sector, boosting ICT’s GDP contribution by SAR50 billion over five years, securing foreign investment, assisting our Saudization employment ambitions, empowering a female workforce and attracting international talent.”

It is integral to MCIT’s five-year strategy aimed at accelerating the growth of the Kingdom’s digital economy by 50 percent.

“Saudi Arabia already has flourishing female participation in its tech sector, and we aim to nourish that passion and boost female representation to the highest in the world,” said Women Empowerment Director at MCIT Wadha bin Zarah.

LEAP will look to empower women in the local IT industry further through several measures such as recognizing and rewarding female tech leaders and giving female-led startups access to potential funding, she added.

“By creating an event, which has true equality of opportunity, everyone in attendance will have equal possibilities to benefit from the awards, funding, prize funds, knowledge sharing, and networking available.”

The conference will hold 14 focused exhibition areas demonstrating innovations fields such as artificial intelligence/machine learning, blockchain, robotics, 3D printing, Internet of Things, biotech/health sciences, smart mobility, unmanned systems, quantum computing, materials sciences, space and satellites, data analytics and FinTech.

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Business

Saudi Infrastructure Fund Announces $1.2 Bln ‘HUMAIN’ Financing in Davos

Saudi Infrastructure Fund Announces $1.2 Bln ‘HUMAIN’ Financing in Davos
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Saudi Infrastructure Fund Announces $1.2 Bln ‘HUMAIN’ Financing in Davos

Saudi Infrastructure Fund Announces $1.2 Bln ‘HUMAIN’ Financing in Davos

Saudi Arabia sharpened its push into artificial intelligence infrastructure on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, as the National Infrastructure Fund, known as Infra, unveiled a framework agreement for up to $1.2 billion in strategic financing with HUMAIN, a Public Investment Fund-owned company, to back the expansion of AI and digital infrastructure across the kingdom.

Infra’s chief executive officer, Esmail bin Mohammad Alsallom, said in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that the announcement was “an extension of the fund’s role in supporting new categories of infrastructure assets that are seeing accelerating demand,” adding that developing advanced infrastructure, including digital infrastructure, is “a fundamental requirement for achieving the goals of Vision 2030.”

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, prime minister and chairman of the Public Investment Fund, launched HUMAIN on May 12 to develop and manage artificial intelligence solutions and technologies, and to invest across the sector’s ecosystem.

Under the non-binding agreement, the parties set out financing terms to develop up to 250 megawatts of hyperscale AI data centers for HUMAIN, relying on advanced graphics processing units to train and run artificial intelligence models.

The facilities are intended to meet the company’s customers’ needs locally, regionally, and globally, according to an official statement from HUMAIN.

The statement said Infra and HUMAIN had also agreed to explore the creation of an AI data center investment platform anchored by both parties and structured to allow participation by local and global institutional investors, supporting the expansion of HUMAIN’s strategy in the sector.

HUMAIN chief executive officer Tareq Amin was quoted in the statement as saying that demand for advanced computing capacity is accelerating, and that the agreement positions the company to respond quickly and at scale.

He added that the goal is to deliver world-class AI data center infrastructure that companies can rely on as their computing needs become more complex.

Bridging financing gaps

Alsallom said the National Infrastructure Fund’s role is to bridge financing and structural gaps that some strategically essential infrastructure projects may face.

This role is vital at stages when commercial financing alone cannot meet funding needs, whether because of the size of the investment, its long time horizon, or the nature of the associated risks.

He said the fund’s focus is not simply on financing projects, but on enabling them to become investable and attractive to private capital, especially institutional investors, in ways that enhance sustainability and reduce reliance on direct government funding.

Expanding infrastructure asset classes

Alsallom described the framework agreement with HUMAIN as an extension of the fund’s support for new infrastructure asset classes experiencing rapid demand growth, foremost among them digital infrastructure and AI data centers.

He said such assets typically require significant, long-term capital investments and often need funding at early stages before they meet the conditions of traditional financing.

From this perspective, the fund’s intervention at this stage aims to raise market maturity, define appropriate financing structures, and enable broader, more sustainable participation by institutional investors.

A comprehensive approach

Asked whether the move signals a new focus on artificial intelligence, Alsallom said the fund does not target sectors as such, but instead focuses on the impact of infrastructure projects in supporting and enabling economic growth.

“Artificial intelligence today depends on an interconnected ecosystem of infrastructure assets, including energy, water, telecommunications, and data centers,” he said.

“When these projects become an important element in achieving sustainable economic development goals and attracting investment, the fund’s involvement is a natural extension of its role, regardless of the end sector these assets serve.”

Flexible financing solutions

Comparing the fund’s role with traditional commercial financing, Alsallom said its added value lies in aligning financing structures with the nature of the underlying asset.

“In new infrastructure projects, or those undergoing a transition in their operating or financing models, risks may be unbalanced or returns long-term in a way that does not suit traditional commercial financing,” he said.

“In this context, the fund provides flexible financing solutions that help encourage private sector participation, mitigate risk and support the financial sustainability of projects, without disrupting market balance or crowding out commercial finance.”

An AI data center investment platform

Alsallom said studying the creation of an AI data center investment platform reflects the fund’s approach of viewing such assets within an integrated framework rather than as standalone projects.

The aim, he said, is to build a scalable, repeatable model that enables asset aggregation, standardization, and the attraction of long-term capital from local and international institutional investors, thereby enhancing financing efficiency and investment sustainability.

Financial sustainability and private sector participation

In a broader context, Alsallom linked this approach to the objectives of Vision 2030, which aim to build a diversified, productive, and investment-attractive economy.

He said that developing advanced infrastructure, including digital infrastructure, is a prerequisite for that goal, and that the fund’s role is to accelerate this development in a financially sustainable way while strengthening private-sector participation.

Business

France Not Considering Soccer World Cup Boycott over Greenland for Now

President Donald Trump is presented with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)
President Donald Trump is presented with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)
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France Not Considering Soccer World Cup Boycott over Greenland for Now

President Donald Trump is presented with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)
President Donald Trump is presented with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)

France's sports minister says her country is not currently thinking about boycotting the soccer World Cup in the United States amid growing tensions related to Donald Trump's quest to control Greenland.

“At the moment we are speaking, there is no desire from the ministry to boycott this major, much-anticipated competition," sports minister Marina Ferrari told reporters on Tuesday evening. "That said, I am not prejudging what might happen.”

Ferrari added that she wants to keep sports separate from politics, The AP news reported.

“The 2026 World Cup is an extremely important moment for all sports lovers,” she said.

With the tournament kicking off in June in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the US president's ambitions to wrest control of Greenland from NATO ally Denmark has the potential to tear relations with European allies.

In France, leftist lawmaker Eric Coquerel said the opportunity of a boycott by France, a two-time winner of the men's World Cup, should be considered.

“Seriously, can we really imagine going to play the footie World Cup in a country that attacks its ‘neighbors,’ threatens to invade Greenland, undermines international law, wants to torpedo the UN," he asked in a message posted on social media.

“The question seriously arises, especially since it is still possible to refocus the event on Mexico and Canada,” he wrote.

France lost to Argentina in the final of the World Cup in 2022.

No boycott by Scotland after 28-year wait In the UK, the Scottish National Party’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, said boycotting the World Cup was not the right option for Scotland, which will feature at the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

“Without being flippant, we have boycotted the World Cup proactively since 1998 and I’m not entirely sure that’s a route that we want to go down again,” Flynn said.

“Instead I think we need serious and committed international dialogue with our allies on the European continent."

On Tuesday a number of MPs called for the home nations to boycott the World Cup. England and Scotland have qualified for the showcase event, while Wales and Northern Ireland are in the playoffs.

 

 

 

Business

Saudi-Jordanian Business Forum Approves Roadmap for Cooperation in Promising Sectors

The forum's activities included meetings of the joint Saudi-Jordanian Business Council - SPA
The forum's activities included meetings of the joint Saudi-Jordanian Business Council - SPA
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Saudi-Jordanian Business Forum Approves Roadmap for Cooperation in Promising Sectors

The forum's activities included meetings of the joint Saudi-Jordanian Business Council - SPA
The forum's activities included meetings of the joint Saudi-Jordanian Business Council - SPA

The Federation of Saudi Chambers and the Jordan Chamber of Commerce organized the Saudi-Jordanian Business Forum at the federation's headquarters in Riyadh.

The forum's activities included meetings of the joint Saudi-Jordanian Business Council, the signing of five Saudi-Jordanian agreements in various sectors, and bilateral meetings between representatives of Saudi and Jordanian companies to build commercial and investment partnerships, SPA reported.

Specialized meetings were also held for the sectoral committees emanating from the Joint Business Council, to draw up a roadmap for cooperation in promising sectors including: agriculture and food security; industry, mining and energy; financial services and trade finance; health, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies; logistics, ports and transportation; reconstruction and infrastructure; tourism and hospitality; investment, trade and franchising; contracts; education and human resources; and information technology and digital trade.