Oxagon to host one of the world’s largest AI data centers as DataVolt invests $5bn

RIYADH: US-based software firm ServiceNow is set to launch data centers in Saudi Arabia in 2026, according to its Europe, the Middle East, and Africa president.

In an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of the second day of LEAP 2025, taking place in Riyadh from Feb. 9—12, Cathy Mauzaize revealed the date for the facilities, with the plans to develop them in the Kingdom announced at last year’s event.

The EMA president also talked up ServiceNow’s ambitions to build cloud infrastructure and develop essential skills in Saudi Arabia to support its customers and partners better.

ServiceNow’s plan falls in line with Saudi Arabia’s National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence, which aims to train 40 percent of the workforce in essential skills to combat data and AI illiteracy and develop a talent pool of 20,000 data and AI specialists.

It also aligns with the strategy’s target of attracting SR75 billion ($19.99 billion) in local and foreign investments, as well as supporting over 300 startups to encourage entrepreneurship.

Speaking on the timeline of the date centers, Mauzaize said: "We’re going to, crossing my fingers, announce the services in 2026.”

She added that it is “time for us to build the data centers and make them available for our customers and partners here, in the Kingdom, but also, at the same time, we are investing a lot in creating skills, because if we don’t have skills, and especially in the young people, it’s going to be difficult for us to sustain the growth.” 

During the interview, Mauzaize went on to highlight that AI and generative AI will have a major impact on the EMA economy.

“If you look at the numbers that IDC (International Data Corporation) predicts for EMA and how much wellness or how much, you know, it impacts on the economy, it will have $5 trillion by 2030,” she said.

“But if you go into Saudi Arabia, 52 percent of the CEOs say AI is top of mind and 79 (percent) are saying: ‘we know that’s going to have a material impact on the way we run our business,’” the EMA president added. 

Mauzaize also underlined major partnerships sealed during LEAP 2025 with Salam, a leading digital infrastructure provider in the Kingdom, and the Saudi Telecom Co.
 
“Salam — it’s a big partnership to help them run on a much faster way, their own operation and to go after a brand-new set of customers in SME space. We have this vision together that, hey, let’s go modernize, help you develop your top line proper, new services embedded into platform and fuse with AI as a service to your end customer, and let’s together go after the small and medium business,” she said.
 
“STC, we are announcing again a very strategic partnership to help them on their modernization journey, but also as a partner to go to market together. We are very, very proud of those two announcements and we believe that those two will help us accelerate significantly how we get into the Kingdom with success,” the EMA president added.

Mauzaize explained that ServiceNow is the only AI platform designed specifically for business and digital transformation.

“We have a platform that combines data, the ability to collect all the data and to connect to any source of system, structured data and unstructured data. We are having AI at the core and now Gen AI, generative AI, that has ability to interact with the human touch and augment human and collaborate with human,” she said.

The EMA President added: “And then we have the workflow, and so the workflow are our ability to digitalize processes. If you think about it in any company anything you do is a process and then is a workflow, so you can either do workflow manually or do a workflow digitally and automate them.”

Held under the theme “Into New Worlds,” LEAP 2025 aims to expand business networking and investment opportunities in the tech sector.
 
The event plays a key role in Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a global technology hub, aligning with its Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy. As part of this initiative, the Kingdom has pledged $100 billion toward advancing its technology sector.

RIYADH: Professional services firm Deloitte is scaling up its investment in Saudi Arabia, reinforcing its long-standing national presence with new initiatives.

In an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of the LEAP 2025 Tech Conference in Riyadh, Patrycja Oselkowska, growth leader at Deloitte Middle East, highlighted the firm’s goal to double its growth in the Kingdom over the next three years. Revenue expansion and strategic partnerships with key clients will primarily drive this development.

“Our future is firmly in Saudi now,” Oselkowska said, adding: “Our presence in the Kingdom dates over 100 years, and we see our future in the Kingdom. We’ve recently launched our new headquarters in the King Abdullah Financial District, and we are very proud of it.”

Rather than pursuing broad-based market expansion, the firm aims to serve as a trusted adviser on its clients’ most complex challenges. “The way we differentiate in the market is by providing very in-depth industry expertise,” Oselkowska said.

Deloitte is serving as the official Innovation & Emerging Technology Partner at LEAP 2025 for the third consecutive year. The firm’s presence at the event includes interactive booths featuring discussions on generative artificial intelligence, sustainability, and cybersecurity, as well as cloud alliances and digital transformation.

Digital transformation remains the prevailing trend in the Middle East’s business landscape. According to Oselkowska, companies across sectors are accelerating their digitization efforts, with GenAI emerging as a game-changer. 

Deloitte recently published its “State of AI” report, which surveyed 150 C-suite executives from corporations across the Middle East. The findings indicated that over 80 percent of organizations feel the pressure to adopt AI, but nearly half struggle with a shortage of talent and technological capabilities necessary for successful scaling. 

She added: “Many corporates are worried that gen AI is going to completely revolutionize how they do business.”

The top official emphasized that Deloitte is proactively embracing this shift, positioning itself to disrupt its business model before being challenged by others.

“We launched a new GenAI tool that is called Tax Genie, where we are basically trying to implement GenAI to provide services in the tax space. It is both for our people as well as for our clients.”

Oselkowska also addressed the future of digital banking in the Kingdom, distinguishing between traditional banks that offer digital services and fully digital banks that operate exclusively through mobile applications. 

While the Kingdom has yet to introduce fully digital banks, the regulatory framework is evolving, with the Saudi Central Bank overseeing licensing processes for potential entrants.

For this medium to thrive, it needs to offer a seamless customer experience and a compelling value proposition that incentivizes clients to switch from traditional banks, she said.

Cybersecurity remains a critical challenge, as digital banking platforms must ensure robust security measures to maintain high consumer confidence levels.

Deloitte’s recent research on Trust ID highlighted that credibility in financial services is exceptionally high among Gen Z consumers in Saudi Arabia. “Digital banks need to maintain that really high level of trust by being extremely secure,” Oselkowska added.

In an announcement at LEAP 2025, Deloitte introduced its Silicon-2-Service offering, an initiative designed to accelerate AI adoption across the Middle East. 

According to a press release, the S2S framework provides end-to-end support for businesses seeking to implement sovereign AI capabilities, covering strategy, design, deployment, and optimization.

Deloitte Middle East AI and Data Leader Yousef Barkawie said: “AI is transforming business landscapes globally and presenting our Middle East region with unprecedented opportunities to innovate and scale.”

He added: “With the rollout of our Silicon-2-Service offering in the region, we are enabling adoption and providing access to cutting-edge innovation at a large scale. We support clients across the public and private sectors through their entire AI journey.”

The press release said: “This collaboration enables Deloitte’s clients to accomplish faster time to value of their large-scale AI investments while embracing the freedom to innovate and adapt to evolving market demands.”

“The launch of S2S aligns with Deloitte’s broader commitment to supporting the Middle East’s digital economy by fostering an ecosystem where AI bridges innovation with tangible, positive outcomes, in compliance with the prevailing regulations unique to each country,” it added.