LEAP 2026 concludes with $15 billion in tech investments and agreements

The LEAP 2026 technology conference in Riyadh concluded with nearly $15 billion in investments and agreements aimed at strengthening Saudi Arabia’s digital economy and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Key announcements included Amazon Web Services (AWS) launching its first cloud infrastructure region in the Kingdom in December 2026, backed by an investment exceeding $5.3 billion. Microsoft also announced that its Azure cloud region will become available in Saudi Arabia by November 2026.

Other major infrastructure developments include Al Moammar Information Systems’ $1.2 billion investment to expand data center capacity and NHC Innovation’s $800 million commitment to develop Khuzam Digital Valley.

In addition to infrastructure, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) partnered with Snap to train over 20,000 Saudis in digital skills by 2030. This initiative, implemented through the Saudi Digital Academy, will focus on professional development for students and graduates, covering areas such as augmented reality, digital marketing, and campaign management.