LEAP 23 Announces $580 Million Investment, Data Center, Two Tech Skills Academies

LEAP 23 Announces $580 Million Investment, Data Center, Two Tech Skills Academies
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LEAP 23 Announces $580 Million Investment, Data Center, Two Tech Skills Academies

LEAP 23 Announces $580 Million Investment, Data Center, Two Tech Skills Academies

The LEAP23 Tech Conference, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), in cooperation with the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming and UAE’s Tahaluf, has made digital announcements and funding programs worth $580 million.

The tech global event, which is on its third day, also announced the launch of a data center and two academies to develop technology talents and equip them with tech futuristic know-how.

The first announcement was made by the Digital Content Council, IGNITE, which launched a host of initiatives, funding programs, and pioneering partnerships with the private sector amounting to $170 million.

WIRPO which specializes in technology services and consulting subsequently announced investments with a value of $110 million.

WIRPO's goal is to expand the service of their cloud studios, find digital healthcare solutions, and support development of local cadres.

Meanwhile, the global real-time 3D development platform UNITY announced the establishment of its first academy in the region in partnership with MCIT to develop tech talent.

Damac Company announced the expansion of its investments in the Kingdom’s big data centers with a total capacity of more than 55 MegaWatts.

Zoho, the pioneer in IT, software development and cloud computing, revealed its plan to expand in the Kingdom.

It also announced a projected increase in the number of its offices, the creation of a cloud zone for its services, as well as the allocation of $300 million for the next decade as a portfolio balance to support start-ups towards their digital transformation.

Amazon concluded LEAP's third day of announcements by revealing the establishment of its first academy in the MENA region to develop and train more than 30 thousand talents.

It will also provide more than 35,000 professional certificates in the fields of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, in partnership with the national dynamic and relevant partnership spearheaded by MCIT, “MCIT Future Skills” initiative and its “Saudi Digital Academy”, as well as “Human Capacity Development Program” and the “Tuwaiq Academy”.



Saudi Energy Minister: Two Billion People Worldwide Suffer from Energy Shortages

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (OPEC website) 
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (OPEC website) 
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Saudi Energy Minister: Two Billion People Worldwide Suffer from Energy Shortages

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (OPEC website) 
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (OPEC website) 

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has warned that the global energy transition must not come at the expense of economic growth and the cost of living. He highlighted that nearly two billion people around the world are currently facing energy shortages.

Speaking at the opening session of the 9th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna, the minister stressed that the path toward energy transition must be realistic and practical. He emphasized that this shift should not be viewed as a threat to oil producers, but rather as an opportunity for technological innovation.

Despite the growing use of renewable, nuclear, and hydrogen energy sources, Prince Abdulaziz maintained that oil and gas will remain essential and irreplaceable components of the global energy mix. He welcomed the fact that an increasing number of countries are adopting a more pragmatic view of the transition.

Also speaking at the seminar, UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said on Wednesday that oil markets have been able to absorb OPEC+ production increases without a rise in inventories, indicating that global demand still requires more crude.

Al Mazrouei explained that the group is not concerned about oversupply and has seen no significant stockpile build-up, even after recent production hikes.

OPEC+, which supplies around half of the world’s oil, has been cutting production for several years to support market stability. However, the group recently began easing these cuts in response to rising global demand, particularly during the summer.

OPEC+ began unwinding its 2.17 million barrel-per-day production cut in April, increasing output by 138,000 barrels per day. That was followed by monthly hikes of 411,000 barrels per day in May, June, and July. On Saturday, the group approved a further increase of 548,000 barrels per day for August.

Al Mazrouei pointed out that the absence of a significant buildup in inventories despite these steady increases suggests that the market needed those barrels.

He added that stability - not just price - should be the focus, stressing that short-term thinking based solely on price is insufficient. He noted that oil prices must remain attractive enough to draw in new investments, warning that countries with large oil reserves still are not investing at the necessary levels.