The Middle East’s historic role as the global energy heartbeat is entering a new chapter. While the region continues to provide over 31% of the world’s oil, its true competitive advantage is shifting from resource extraction to intelligent orchestration.
LEAP 2026, a major technology event in Saudi Arabia, will bring together the world's leading AI companies, investors and innovators in Riyadh for four days of announcements, partnerships and industry-defining discussions, reinforcing the Kingdom's position at the forefront of the global AI economy.
Qualcomm Incorporated, a global computing leader at the center of the AI era, today announced the appointment of Wassim Chourbaji as Senior Vice President and President of Qualcomm Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Global chip giant Nvidia is teaming up with Wall Street's big guns including Apollo, Blackstone and Goldman Sachs to mobilise over $500 billion for AI infrastructure, as part of its ambitious plan to turn AI chips into a new asset class that investors can fund much like real estate or other critical infrastructure.
Storm Group, a Swiss-headquartered AI data centre infrastructure company, has appointed Reza Nedjatian as its Chief Executive Officer. Reza brings more than 15 years' experience developing and delivering large-scale power and digital infrastructure projects across Mena and North America regions to the role.
Dubai Municipality has announced the launch of an innovative project to develop an AI-powered system that will fully automate the building permit issuance process. It represents a major leap forward in the delivery of building permit services by allowing customers to conduct pre-submission design checks.
Dida Holdings has launched Dida MCP, an AI-powered booking gateway enabling approved B2B partners to integrate hotel search and booking from over 2 million properties into their own AI apps, platforms and customer experiences.
Action Energy Company (AEC) and Kellton have launched a GCC joint venture to deliver AI-powered digital oilfield and IT solutions. The partnership will roll out Kellton’s OPTIMA platform, beginning in Kuwait before expanding to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman.
Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye (MENAT) region, and Techstars, one of the world’s leading startup accelerators, have announced a partnership to drive AI and FinTech innovation in the region.
For years, fintech has promised to transform the way we manage money. We've built budgeting apps, investment platforms and digital banks that have made finance more accessible than ever before.
