Oracle commits $14 billion to Saudi Arabia's tech future
Kingdom's AI economy gets boost from massive Oracle investment
#SaudiArabia #investment - US technology firm Oracle has announced a planned investment of $14 billion in Saudi Arabia over the next decade, significantly expanding its cloud and AI infrastructure in the Kingdom. The California-headquartered tech giant's commitment aims to accelerate Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals by bringing advanced cloud and AI technologies that will foster innovation and economic development. Oracle CEO Safra Catz credited US President Trump's leadership as instrumental in facilitating this expanded partnership.
SO WHAT? - This massive investment represents nearly ten times Oracle's previous $1.5 billion commitment to Saudi Arabia, signaling extraordinary confidence in the Kingdom's digital future. The scale and scope of this investment could potentially reshape Saudi Arabia's position in the global technology landscape, particularly in cloud services and AI development, while also enhancing US-Saudi relations through strategic technology cooperation.
Oracle's $14 billion decade-long investment marks a dramatic escalation from its previous $1.5 billion commitment to Saudi Arabia's digital infrastructure, demonstrating increased confidence in the Kingdom's technology ambitions.
The investment will focus on expanding Oracle's cloud and AI technology presence in Saudi Arabia, providing both public and private sector organisations with advanced computing capabilities needed for digital transformation.
Oracle CEO Safra Catz explicitly credited President Trump's official visit to Saudi Arabia with enabling this expanded partnership, suggesting improved US-Saudi relations are facilitating larger technology investments.
The announcement builds upon Oracle's existing cloud regions in Riyadh and Jeddah, with previous plans for expansion to NEOM and Dammam, creating a comprehensive network of data centres across the Kingdom.
Oracle’s partnership with Saudi Arabia aims to deliver improved healthcare outcomes for Saudi citizens through advanced data analytics and AI applications in the medical sector.
Oracle's expanded presence is expected to significantly contribute to Saudi Arabia's growing AI economy. Meanwhile the tech giant has already launched initiatives to develop local talent, including the Mostaqbali program announced in December 2023 to train 50,000 Saudi nationals in artificial intelligence skills.
ZOOM OUT - This investment comes amid intense global competition in cloud computing and AI infrastructure, with major technology companies racing to establish dominance in the Kingdom. The Middle East has become a particular hotspot for tech investment, with Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar all making significant moves to position themselves as regional technology hubs. Oracle's commitment follows significant cloud and data centre investments from Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services in the Kingdom, reflecting the strategic importance of establishing cloud infrastructure the high-growth economy.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]