Proving itself as one of the region’s most transformative tech events, LEAP 2025 was held from February 9 to 12, 2025, at the Riyadh Exhibition Convention Center, under the theme “Into New Worlds”. The annual tech conference convened around 1,800 global brands — including heavyweights like Google Cloud, Huawei, Meta, stc Group, and Aramco — 1,000 speakers, and 680 startups, cementing Saudi Arabia’s status as a leading global tech hub. Among the key highlights of the event was the inaugural Tech Arena, an immersive space showcasing new tech innovations.
New activities also punctuated the event, including Ecosystem Xchange, which is an exclusive private platform featuring masterclasses, industry meetups, and program and portfolio showcases. Tech Tours that offered firsthand experiences on government, tech, AI, and investor innovations were also offered, alongside LEAP Nights, which gave attendees access to exciting events happening in the Saudi capital of Riyadh during LEAP 2025.
Innovative showcases
True to the event’s theme, LEAP 2025 turned the limelight on various tech innovations. For instance, in the Tech Arena, Anouk Wipprecht’s Tech Couture exhibit presented cutting-edge robotic dresses. Meanwhile, Adobe showcased its digital dress and wearable tech called Project Primrose.
Aramco demonstrated SARA, its newest AI-trained voice assistant. SARA stands for Saudi Aramco Robotics Assistant. Ibrahim Al-Sowayigh, innovation and commercialization leader at the Saudi Accelerated Innovation Lab, shared the concept behind this product: “We needed a device that is secure, industrial-grade, with intuitive-personalized interactions. That’s when we decided to build, not buy, and SARA — our very own industrial Gen-AI tabletop voice assistant — was born.”
Tech Arena also saw Engine VR, a U.S.-based company, highlight its Global Gloves VR platform. This offering uses virtual reality technology to deliver a more interactive boxing experience. In his opening address, His Excellency Eng. Abdullah Alswaha, the Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), emphasized the importance of LEAP.
“LEAP 2025 is a defining moment because when the Kingdom works, the region works, and the whole world works. LEAP has evolved from a movement to a multiplier effect — but now is our defining moment… The intelligence age is here and, in partnership with you, we are going to take that leap together,” Alswaha remarked.
Investments in AI and cloud
Apart from giving a peek into the future with innovative showcases, LEAP 2025 also provided an avenue for entities to announce groundbreaking investments in AI-driven infrastructure and cloud technologies.
One of these announcements is a $1.5 billion collaboration between Groq and Aramco. This partnership aims to expand AI-powered inference infrastructure and cloud computing. Moreover, ALAT and Lenovo committed $2 billion to establish an advanced manufacturing and technology center integrating AI and robotics. Meanwhile, Google introduced new AI-driven digital infrastructure alongside a high-performance computing cluster to meet regional and global demand.
Additional investments included Databricks allocating $300 million to integrated Platform as a Service (PaaS) solutions for AI-driven application development, and SambaNova committing $140 million to build advanced AI infrastructure.
KKR, in partnership with Gulf Data Hub, announced a strategic investment in developing data centers with a total capacity of up to 300 megawatts. Meanwhile, Salesforce Saudi Arabia pledged $500 million to enhance Hyperforce and cloud capabilities for regional customers, and Tencent Cloud allocated $150 million to establish the Middle East’s first AI-powered cloud region. Equinix also announced a $1 billion investment to establish the region’s largest data center in Saudi Arabia.
Support for startups and talents
LEAP, the world’s most-attended tech event, also solidified its status as a platform catalyzing support for startups and talents. For instance, Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) announced the successful completion of Cohort 2 of its sandbox initiative. It also launched its Cohort 3, providing a platform for emerging technologies to help innovators and startups test, launch, and scale new solutions.
The National Technology Development Program (NTDP) unveiled accelerators and financing funds — amounting to $150 million — in a bid to boost the growth of tech companies in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Sharaka Financial announced a $30 million fund for startup growth in MENA. Additionally, Orbit Startups, in collaboration with Sanabil Investments, launched a $60 million accelerator aimed at investing in 200 early-stage tech startups.
At LEAP 2025, Microsoft also launched the region’s first Datacenter Academy in collaboration with NITA, a non-profit training academy. Alibaba Cloud introduced the AI Enablement Program in partnership with Tuwaiq Academy and STC Academy to enhance the skills of national talent in artificial intelligence.
The event also witnessed the HGM Fund launch a $300 million fund, underscoring how the country is prioritizing the acceleration of the esports industry. The fund will be used to develop locally made games for both domestic and international markets.
stc Group, Saudi Arabia’s leading telecom company, launched upsource by solutions, highlighting its efforts to strengthen its business process outsourcing (BPO) capabilities. This will offer integrated outsourcing solutions for HR, finance, operations, and customer experience while leveraging advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, and data analytics.
Apart from the BPO subsidiary’s launch, stc also unveiled its bespoke AI platform, stc.AI. The company also inked over 75 agreements with notable industry players, including AWS, Nokia, Ericsson, and Huawei.
Saudi Arabia and LEAP’s growing influence
Reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in the global tech landscape, the Digital Government Authority (DGA) released the 2025 Emerging Technologies Adoption Readiness Index.
The country’s readiness rate climbed to 74.69 percent, earning a “proficient” ranking. This is a substantial rise from 70.70 percent in 2024 and 60.35 percent in 2023. With 49 government entities contributing, the index highlighted advancements across research (73.47 percent), collaboration (74.63 percent), prototyping (75.99 percent), and technology integration (74.69 percent).
Building on this success — alongside all milestones achieved throughout its 2025 edition — LEAP is set to return from April 13 to 16, 2026. As Saudi Arabia continues to recognize the importance of global connectivity and knowledge exchange in the tech sector, LEAP is expanding beyond the country with the launch of LEAP East. This all-new event will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center from July 8 to 10, 2026, bringing together attendees in one of the world’s most dynamic and culturally diverse cities.
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