Riyadh - Sharikat Mubasher: Saudi Arabia is steadily moving toward establishing one of the world's most prepared and widely available AI ecosystems, further solidifying its role as a trusted enabler of the digital economy and a strategic bridge between East and West.
Speaking at LEAP East 2026 in Hong Kong, Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah Amer Alswaha, revealed that the digital economy in Saudi Arabia has increased by 75% over the past eight years to reach $139 billion.
He highlighted that the operational capacity of data centers in the Kingdom jumped to 467 MW, representing 47% of MENA's total capacity. To scale its infrastructure, the Kingdom is working on building data centers with a total capacity of 6.9 GW by 2034, with 3 GW set to be ready by 2030 and 12.8 GW currently available.
It should be mentioned that the Saudi digital economy contributed 15.8% to the national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025, with the information and communications technology (ICT) market reaching SAR 199 billion.
Saudi Arabia participates in LEAP East 2026 through the Invest Saudi pavilion to showcase its competitive investment landscape, promote the incentives and enablers available to investors, and connect with international businesses seeking expansion opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
