LEAP 2026 concluded its fifth edition on Thursday, organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, Tahaluf, and the Events Investment Fund under the theme "Into New Worlds." LEAP 2026 witnessed global technology and investment momentum that strengthened the Kingdom's position as a leading center for the digital economy and artificial intelligence (AI), the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday. Over four days at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, LEAP 2026 saw announcements, investments, and agreements worth nearly $15 billion, covering AI infrastructure, data centers, cloud computing, technology manufacturing, and venture capital, along with wide-ranging initiatives to develop national capabilities and align them with labor market needs and promising sectors. The announcements included the establishment and expansion of high-capacity data centers and the development of computing and AI infrastructure. They also included the announcement that the Microsoft Azure cloud region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will become available in November 2026, supporting local data hosting and the growth of cloud services and digital sectors. Al Moammar Information Systems announced a $1.2 billion investment to expand its data centers and increase their capacity to 192 megawatts, while NHC Innovation announced an $800 million investment to develop Khuzam Digital Valley, with capacity that can be expanded to 65 megawatts by 2033. Among the major cloud investments, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the launch of its first cloud infrastructure region in the Kingdom in December 2026 as part of a planned investment of more than $5.3 billion. AWS also expanded its partnership with HUMAIN to provide up to 50 megawatts of capacity within the first AI zone in the Kingdom by 2028. The collaboration includes making the ALLAM Arabic-language model available through Amazon Bedrock and providing HUMAIN Fabric through AWS Marketplace, enhancing advanced computing capabilities and enabling various sectors to develop and operate AI solutions on a large scale. In the creative industries sector, Adobe announced a commitment worth more than $4 billion as part of an expanded partnership with MCIT and HUMAIN. By the end of 2026, the partnership will provide more than 27 million eligible citizens and residents aged 13 or older with Adobe Firefly Standard and Adobe Express Premium features free for 12 months. It also includes developing the first image-generation model using Adobe Firefly Foundry, designed in partnership with HUMAIN to reflect Saudi culture and local context and support the creation of creative content with a Saudi character through Arabic-language prompts. At the conclusion of its proceedings, LEAP 2026 announced that the sixth edition will be held from April 12 to 15, 2027, to continue building global partnerships, attracting investment, enabling innovation and talent, and strengthening the Kingdom's leading position in the smart age.
