Saudi Arabia unveiled technology investments and strategic partnerships worth $14.9bn at the LEAP technology conference in Riyadh on February 9, marking a significant expansion of the kingdom's artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced that $10.9bn will be directed toward AI infrastructure and startup funding, while Groq (not related to X’s Grok AI) will invest $1.5bn to establish the world's largest AI-focused data centre in the kingdom.

Google will also launch a global cluster in Saudi Arabia to meet regional and international AI demand.

"If you look at Saudi Arabia alone and put it in the EU region, it would be the fifth-largest tech hub in Europe," said Communications Minister Abdullah Al-Swaha, noting that the region's digital economy has grown 73% to reach $260bn, with Saudi Arabia representing 15% of this market.

The investments include a $2bn joint venture between Ālat and Lenovo to build an advanced AI and robotics-driven manufacturing and technology centre, alongside establishing Lenovo's regional headquarters in Riyadh.

The fourth edition of LEAP, which opened on February 9 at Malham north of Riyadh, features over $1mn in prizes for startups across categories including AI solutions, metaverse applications and women-led tech ventures.

US-based cloud-based software firm Sales Force aims to invest $500mn in building the Hyperforce platform to serve the Kingdom’s customers in the region. While Databricks unveiled a $300mn investment in building integrated platform as a service (PaaS).

DeepSeek moves into Middle East

Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek has begun operating through Aramco Digital's data centres in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, marking another significant development in the kingdom's expanding AI infrastructure, company officials announced on February 9 at the conference.

"The data is stored locally and never transferred elsewhere once used," said Tariq Amin, former CEO of Aramco Digital, during his conference address in Riyadh.

"We anticipated the world's need for proper AI model inference and operations, particularly with DeepSeek," he added.

The announcement comes as DeepSeek, which recently launched its official Apple App Store application featuring its advanced DeepSeek V3 model, positions itself as a free alternative to paid services like ChatGPT.

The company's expansion into Saudi Arabia through Aramco Digital's facilities reflects the kingdom's growing role as a regional AI hub.

The latest announcements support Saudi Arabia's strategic goal of achieving 50% growth in its communications and technology sector, positioning the kingdom as a primary destination for both local and global AI enterprises and startups seeking to leverage its expanding digital infrastructure.

The LEAP conference has previously facilitated $29.3bn in investments across its first three editions. The event brings together global tech executives, sports personalities, and representatives from major organisations, reflecting Saudi Arabia's ambition to become a leading global hub for technology and artificial intelligence development.