Riyadh – Sharikat Mubasher: The first day of the LEAP 2025 tech conference in Riyadh launched with in-depth discussions on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming industries, boosting the digital economy, and fostering tech investments.
Organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones, and Tahaluf, the event brought together global tech leaders and experts.
In a key session, Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, Executive Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Aramco, highlighted AI’s reliance on human expertise. He noted Aramco’s efforts to train over 6,000 AI developers and its partnerships with Imperial College, Caltech, and KAUST for advanced education programs.
Al-Khowaiter also announced the launch of the region's first AI inference center with Groq and Aramco MetaBrain, a 70-billion-parameter AI model, with plans to scale up to a trillion-parameter model.
Aramco has expanded its infrastructure with 1,500 petabytes of storage, enhanced data centers, and cutting-edge supercomputers like MAM-7 and NVIDIA Superpods, enabling faster decision-making.
Enrique Lores, HP CEO emphasized Saudi Arabia’s readiness to lead in tech innovation, citing the Kingdom's digital transformation efforts and talent development. HP plans to expand locally, produce more products in the Kingdom, and create a development center for specialized AI models.
In a CEO panel, Talal Al-Bakr of SCCC urged startups to leverage ready-made AI models and build adaptable infrastructure. Sulaiman A. Mirdad, CEO of Qiwa highlighted the platform’s role in connecting startups with investors, fostering the Kingdom’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Mikko Lavanti, Nokia’s CEO discussed the company’s commitment to empowering Saudi talent and establishing local centers to enhance tech services. Meanwhile, Jonathan Ross, Groq’s CEO revealed plans for a data center in Saudi Arabia, making the Kingdom its first global launch location for AI inference operations.
LEAP 2025 will continue with discussions and innovations, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s ambition to lead the global tech landscape.