Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled a series of investments and partnerships in Saudi Arabia during LEAP 2026, reinforcing its commitment to the Kingdom’s rapidly expanding cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem.
Announced at the annual technology event in Riyadh, LEAP, which has become one of the largest gatherings for the global technology industry, the initiatives include the launch of AWS’s upcoming Saudi cloud region, an expanded AI partnership with Humain, the integration of the Kingdom’s Arabic large language model (LLM) into Amazon Bedrock, and new training programmes aimed at developing local AI talent.
The announcements come as Saudi Arabia accelerates efforts to diversify its economy through technology and innovation under Vision 2030, with cloud infrastructure and AI increasingly viewed as critical enablers of future growth.
At the centre of AWS’s latest plans is its forthcoming Saudi Arabia cloud region, scheduled to launch with three Availability Zones and representing more than US$5.3bn in planned infrastructure investment. First announced in March 2024, the facility will become part of AWS’s global network of cloud regions and is expected to provide organisations across the Kingdom with local access to AWS services while helping them address data residency and compliance requirements.
The investment reflects the growing importance of Saudi Arabia in AWS’s Middle East strategy. Over recent years, the cloud provider has steadily expanded its regional footprint, supporting government modernisation programmes, digital-native startups and large enterprises pursuing cloud-first and AI-driven transformation strategies.
“Saudi Arabia is home to some of the most ambitious and inventive builders, from startups and enterprises reimagining industries to public sector organisations deploying AI at scale, and the new AWS Region in the country will help them to continue to innovate,” said Matt Garman, CEO of AWS.
“The launch of our new region and our partnership with Humain will deliver the full-stack cloud and AI infrastructure to help power new industries, create jobs and accelerate the goals of Vision 2030.”
Alongside the cloud region announcement, AWS revealed an expanded collaboration with Humain, the Public Investment Fund-owned company established to advance Saudi Arabia’s AI ambitions. Under the agreement, AWS will support the development of the Kingdom’s first dedicated AI Zone, providing up to 50MW of computing capacity by 2028.
The initiative is designed to provide organisations with access to advanced AI infrastructure, including AWS Trainium chips and NVIDIA technologies, enabling the training and deployment of increasingly sophisticated AI models and applications.
The partnership also aims to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional AI hub at a time when countries worldwide are racing to secure the computing resources required to support next-generation artificial intelligence workloads.
A key component of the collaboration will see Allam, Saudi Arabia’s Arabic LLM, made available through Amazon Bedrock. The move will allow developers and organisations to access and integrate Arabic-language generative AI capabilities through AWS’s managed AI platform, potentially accelerating the adoption of AI applications tailored to local and regional requirements.
The availability of Arabic language models is becoming increasingly important as organisations seek to deploy generative AI solutions that better understand local language, culture and business contexts.
During LEAP, AWS also highlighted the importance of skills development in building a sustainable AI ecosystem. The company introduced some free training initiatives, including the AWS AI Training Academy, designed to help individuals and organisations build practical AI expertise.
The programmes align with broader national efforts to equip Saudi citizens with the digital and AI skills required to support the Kingdom’s transformation agenda and create a workforce capable of participating in an increasingly AI-driven economy.
“Saudi Arabia is building the computing power needed for the Intelligence Age and strengthening its position as a global computing partner. The launch of AWS’s new Region and its expanded partnership with Humain will help to accelerate AI innovation, enable new industries, and advance the goals of Saudi Vision 2030,” said His Excellency Engineer Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi Arabia’s minister of communications and information technology
The announcements signal AWS’s intention to play a larger role in Saudi Arabia’s digital future, combining cloud infrastructure, AI capabilities and skills development to support the Kingdom’s ambition to become a global centre for technology innovation.
