Saudi Arabia attracts $14.9bn in tech investments
11 February 2025
International and local companies have pledged at least $14.9bn-worth of investments in Saudi Arabia at the ongoing Leap technology conference in Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency and other local media reports.
A team comprising homegrown data centre operator DataVolt, along with Saudi gigaproject developer Neom, announced a plan to develop a 1.5GW data centre facility in the kingdom's Oxagon industrial cluster.
The renewable energy-powered, net-zero data centre project will require an investment of $5bn and is expected to be operational by 2028.
Another local firm, Alfanar Company, announced a $1.4bn investment to develop four data centres with a total capacity of 88MW.
Riyadh-headquartered telecommunications firm Mobily also committed $905m to develop key projects, including submarine cable networks and advanced data centres.
The First Day of #LEAP25 witnesses:
Major Announcements shaping the future of technology, Strategic Investments driving innovation, and Groundbreaking Partnerships demonstrating Saudi Arabia’s position as a global tech leader…reinforce Saudi leadership in AI, advanced… pic.twitter.com/k169Ml6aCR
— وزارة الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات (@McitGovSa) February 9, 2025
US-based Zoom pledged $75m to drive artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and establish new data centres to strengthen support for tech enterprises and government entities.
Saudi Arabia Railways also announced a $51m investment in a private fibre optic network to enhance digital connectivity and expand the country's communications infrastructure.
Germany-based broadband services provider SkyFive also promised to invest $100m in non-terrestrial network services in the kingdom.
The other major planned investments announced during the fourth edition of the annual tech event in Riyadh include a $1.5bn pledge by Silicon Valley-based Groq, a company that develops language processing units (LPU). Groq said it plans to build the world's largest AI inference node in Saudi Arabia.
Not to be confused with Grok, a generative language developed by Elon Musk-headed xAI, Groq's LPU recently hit a record speed of 534 tokens a second, a token being the unit of data that is processed by algorithms.
Hong Kong-headquartered Lenovo Group also pledged $2bn towards establishing advanced manufacturing and data centre facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Lenovo and Alat Enate, part of Saudi sovereign wealth vehicle the Public Investment Fund (PIF), first announced this plan in May 2024, when Lenovo said it planned to issue $2bn-worth of zero-coupon convertible bonds to Saudi Arabia's Alat, the $100bn platform that aims to transform the kingdom into a global hub for electronics and advanced industries.
UAE-based GulfData Hub and US-headquartered private equity firm KKR also disclosed plans to build 300MW data centre facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Another US-based tech firm, Databricks, announced a plan to invest $300m in building a full platform-as-a-service facility in Saudi Arabia.
SambaNova, of Palo Alto, California, will also invest $140m in an advanced AI infrastructure to enable a large-language model (LLM)-as-a-service.
US semiconductor company Qualcomm and the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority also launched Allam AI PC, a first-of-its-kind, "fully integrated AI personal computer with on-device AI and seamless hybrid AI cloud access".
US-based Google said it will invest in digital infrastructure for AI, while Beijing-headquartered Alibaba launched a so-called empowerment programme in Saudi Arabia with the introduction of its Qwen LLM, an advanced AI model.
READ MEED’s YEARBOOK 2025
MEED’s 16th highly prized flagship Yearbook publication is available to read, offering subscribers analysis on the outlook for the Mena region’s major markets.
Published on 31 December 2024 and distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the MEED Yearbook 2025 includes:
|
> PROJECTS: Another bumper year for Mena projects
> GIGAPROJECTS INDEX: Gigaproject spending finds a level
> INFRASTRUCTURE: Dubai focuses on infrastructure
> US POLITICS: Donald Trump’s win presages shake-up of global politics
> REGIONAL ALLIANCES: Middle East’s evolving alliances continue to shift
> DOWNSTREAM: Regional downstream sector prepares for consolidation
> CONSTRUCTION: Bigger is better for construction
> TRANSPORT: Transport projects driven by key trends
> PROJECTS: Gulf projects index continues ascension
> CONTRACTS: Mena projects market set to break records in 2024
|
Exclusive from Meed
-
Aldar and Mubadala acquire Masdar City Square17 September 2026
-
Dubai announces new 80km highway corridor16 September 2026
-
Engineering progresses on Ras Laffan LNG terminal berths16 September 2026
-
Design completed for Libyan oil field development16 September 2026
-
Chinese contractor wins Qiddiya e-games arena16 September 2026
All of this is only 1% of what MEED.com has to offer
Subscribe now and unlock all the 153,671 articles on MEED.com
- All the latest news, data, and market intelligence across MENA at your fingerprints
- First-hand updates and inside information on projects, clients and competitors that matter to you
- 20 years' archive of information, data, and news for you to access at your convenience
- Strategize to succeed and minimise risks with timely analysis of current and future market trends
Related Articles
-
Aldar and Mubadala acquire Masdar City Square17 September 2026
Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company and local developer Aldar have completed the acquisition of Masdar City Square at Masdar City, in a transaction valued at AED918m ($250m).
The deal was executed through their joint venture established in 2024.
Masdar City Square comprises more than 47,000 square metres (sq m) of net leasable area across seven office buildings.
Completed in Q1 2026, the development is 99% occupied. Tenants include Taqa, the Department of Energy, Emirates College and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
The transaction expands the joint venture’s real estate portfolio in Masdar City, which is now valued at AED4.7bn ($1.3bn).
Masdar City is one of the region’s leading hubs for clean energy, artificial intelligence, advanced research and sustainable urban development.
The joint venture acquired The Link project at Masdar City for AED654m ($178m) in April.
Comprising about 32,000 sq m of net leasable area across five buildings, The Link is fully leased to a portfolio of major tenants, including Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
The asset includes Grade A, Leed Platinum office space, a net-zero-energy headquarters building, a multi-use hall and residential accommodation, supporting its position as a high-performing, integrated component of Masdar City.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19748241/main5814.png -
Dubai announces new 80km highway corridor16 September 2026
Dubai has approved the construction of the new fourth corridor, a major highway programme aimed at boosting inter-emirate connectivity, increasing road capacity and easing congestion.
The corridor will extend 80 kilometres, from Al-Faya Road in Abu Dhabi to Al-Shanouf Road in Sharjah.
It will include 12 lanes, 72 bridges and 17 tunnels.
The project is expected to reduce travel times by up to 60% and serve more than 3.1 million people, while providing links to Al-Maktoum International airport and Etihad Rail.
It will have the capacity to accommodate 24,000 vehicles per hour in each direction.
The project will be delivered in two phases. The first phase, running from Al-Shanouf Road to Dubai-Al Ain Road, will be delivered at a cost of AED3.5bn ($953m).
The second phase will stretch from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al-Faya Road in Abu Dhabi.
Hamdan bin Mohammed: In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to boost investment in infrastructure, I approved the New Fourth Corridor to strengthen Dubai’s road network and enhance connectivity with the UAE’s federal road network.… pic.twitter.com/zlIyY2yKBN
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) September 16, 2026
The scheme adds a fourth spine to a network that has long relied on three main corridors: the E11 (Sheikh Zayed Road/Al-Ittihad Road); the E311 (Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road) and the E611 (Emirates Road), which together carry more than 850,000 vehicles commuting between Dubai and the northern emirates daily.
That concentration has made the route one of the country’s most congested, with peak-hour bottlenecks a persistent problem for residents. The new corridor is designed to divert a significant share of that traffic onto a higher-capacity route, rather than add pressure to the existing network.
The project also aligns with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which anticipates population growth to 5.8 million by 2040 and calls for the expansion of roads, railways, airports and ports to support that growth and reinforce Dubai’s position as a global trading hub. This is reflected in the corridor’s direct links to Al-Maktoum International airport and Etihad Rail.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19725878/main.jpeg -
Engineering progresses on Ras Laffan LNG terminal berths16 September 2026

Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access
Front-end engineering and design (feed) works are progressing on a QatarEnergy LNG project to build 13 liquefied natural gas (LNG) loading berths at the south export terminal in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City.
Ras Laffan Industrial City, which lies about 90 kilometres north of Doha, is the world's largest integrated LNG production and export complex, comprising 15 processing trains with a total capacity of 77.5 million tonnes a year (t/y). QatarEnergy began LNG operations at the facility, which houses all its processing trains and export infrastructure, in 1984.
According to sources, QatarEnergy LNG, a subsidiary of state enterprise QatarEnergy, awarded the feed contract for the project to build 13 LNG berths at the south export terminal at Ras Laffan to Australia-headquartered Worley.
The contract was awarded to Worley in the second quarter of this year. Its duration is estimated to be 200,000-250,000 man hours, sources told MEED.
Ras Laffan’s LNG processing and export capabilities will increase by up to about 63% when the three phases of QatarEnergy’s estimated $40bn North Field LNG expansion project come into operation by the end of this decade. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on all three projects are progressing.
QatarEnergy is understood to have committed nearly $30bn to the first two phases – North Field East (NFE) and North Field South (NFS) – which will lift Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 77.5 million t/y to 126 million t/y by 2028.
QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contracts for NFE in 2021. The project was intended to raise LNG output to 110 million t/y by 2025. The $13bn EPC package – covering the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of four LNG trains, each with a capacity of 8 million t/y – was awarded in February 2021 to a consortium of Japan’s Chiyoda and France’s Technip Energies.
In May 2023, QatarEnergy awarded the $10bn main EPC contract for NFS to a consortium of Technip Energies and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC). The contract includes two LNG trains, each with a capacity of 7.8 million t/y.
Once fully operational, the first two phases are expected to add 48 million t/y of LNG supply to the global market.
QatarEnergy took the final investment decision on the third phase, North Field West (NFW), this year, awarding an EPC contract estimated at $8bn to a joint venture comprising Technip Energies, CCC and Gulf Asia Contracting in February.
Chiyoda carried out the feed work for the NFW LNG project.
The NFW scope covers the EPC of two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 16 million t/y, as well as associated facilities for gas treatment, natural gas liquids recovery and helium extraction.
In addition to LNG, NFW is expected to produce about 175,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day of condensate, ethane and liquefied petroleum gas.
With all three phases under EPC execution – and NFE scheduled for commissioning later this year – QatarEnergy is positioning itself to remain one of the world’s largest LNG suppliers in the long term.
READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFNuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape> MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive under fire> INDUSTRY REPORT: Gas processing takes centre stage in Mena regionTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19715235/main5946.jpg -
Design completed for Libyan oil field development16 September 2026

Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access
Design work has been completed for a project to develop Libya’s I/R oil field, according to industry sources.
The front-end engineering and design work was completed by a team in the London offices of Italy’s EniProgetti and paves the way for the main engineering, procurement and construction contract to be tendered.
One source said: “At the moment, there is no fixed date for when the invitation to bid for the main contract will be issued, but the project has a lot of momentum and is progressing towards tendering.”
The I/R oil field is located in Murzuq Basin in southwestern Libya.
In June this year, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) signed a unified operating agreement for the field.
The I/R field is operated by Akakus Oil Operations, which is a joint venture of NOC in partnership with Spain’s Repsol, France’s TotalEnergies Repsol, Austria’s OMV and Norway’s Equinor.
The agreement in June was signed by NOC as well as its concession partners.
NOC said the agreement would unify operational and administrative procedures related to field management, optimise resource utilisation and support production sustainability.
READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFNuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape> MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive under fire> INDUSTRY REPORT: Gas processing takes centre stage in Mena regionTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19711588/main.jpg -
Chinese contractor wins Qiddiya e-games arena16 September 2026

Saudi gigaproject developer Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) has awarded an estimated $600m-$700m contract to build an e-games arena, also known as the Fortress Arena, at its Qiddiya Entertainment City development outside Riyadh.
The contract was awarded to Beijing-headquartered Metallurgical Corporation of China.
The scope of work covers the construction of an auditorium with a capacity of about 5,100 seats, as well as commercial areas, hospitality facilities and other associated infrastructure.
The e-games arena will provide space for local, national and international competitions.
MEED understands that QIC tendered the contract in January, with bids submitted in March.
Completion is expected by April 2029.
US-based architectural firm Populous designed the project, supported by New York-based Thornton Tomasetti.
The project is located in District 18, Upper Plateau, in Qiddiya City.
The Fortress Arena is one of several major projects within the wider Qiddiya development.
Other projects include the Dragon Ball theme park, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a horse racing venue, a performing arts centre, the Speed Park, the National Tennis Centre and the Six Flags theme parks and Aquarabia waterpark.
The project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the kingdom. According to UK analytics firm GlobalData, leisure tourism in Saudi Arabia has grown significantly in recent years.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19661939/main.jpg