Riyadh – Sharikat Mubasher: Microsoft is nearing the completion of its cloud computing infrastructure in Saudi Arabia as part of a strategic partnership with the Kingdom, and plans to roll out new initiatives related to artificial intelligence and data centers in the coming months, according to Samer Abu Ltaif, President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Microsoft.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai, Abu Ltaif indicated that the partnership focuses on integrating AI technologies across a wide range of key sectors to boost efficiency, accelerate processes and improve service quality in both government entities and the private sector.

Saudi Arabia has ranked among the top three countries in the Middle East and Africa for AI adoption and within the top 25 globally, according to the Microsoft AI Adoption Report 2025, with around one-third of users in the Kingdom now actively using AI-powered tools.

Abu Ltaif noted that investment in data centers is a major driver of economic diversification, stressing that AI has become a central pillar in reshaping modern economies, creating new business models and raising productivity. He also pointed to ongoing coordination with Saudi authorities, with additional initiatives expected to be announced in the coming weeks and months, centered on AI and data center capabilities.

Microsoft has already completed three "availability zones" within its Azure data center region in Saudi Arabia, enabling a local, sovereign cloud infrastructure that supports data residency, regulatory compliance, and the deployment of generative AI applications in line with Vision 2030 objectives.