IT & Telecommunications

Oracle opens second public cloud region in Saudi Arabia

Oracle has announced the opening of its second public cloud region in Saudi Arabia to meet the rapidly growing demand for its AI and cloud services, and enable public and private sector organisations migrate all types of workloads to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

Part of Oracle’s distributed cloud strategy and Oracle’s US $1.5 billion investment to expand cloud infrastructure capabilities in the kingdom, the new Riyadh cloud region will provide organisations access to a wide range of cloud services to modernise their applications and help them innovate with data, analytics, and AI.

Center3 is the host partner for the new Oracle Cloud Riyadh Region.

The new region promises to boost the kingdom’s AI economy, which is expected to reach $135.2 billion by 2030. The Oracle Cloud Riyadh Region joins the existing Oracle Cloud Jeddah Region and the planned Oracle Cloud Region in NEOM to extend Oracle’s footprint in Saudi Arabia.

Oracle is the only hyperscaler capable of delivering AI and a full suite of 100+ cloud services across dedicated, public, and hybrid cloud environments, anywhere in the world. This includes Oracle Autonomous Database, HeatWave MySQL Database Service, Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes, Oracle Cloud VMware Solution, OCI Generative AI service, OCI AI Infrastructure, and OCI Supercluster.

“The opening of Oracle’s new cloud region in Riyadh reflects the Kingdom’s continuous efforts in boosting the digital economy based on modern technologies and innovation,” said Eng. Haytham Alohali, vice minister, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

“This step will significantly enable international and local companies to achieve innovation and promote the adoption of AI and cloud computing technologies in various sectors, which enhances Saudi Arabia's competitiveness at the regional and international level.”

Richard Smith, executive vice president and general manager, EMEA Cloud Infrastructure, Oracle, said: “With the rapid expansion of our cloud footprint in Saudi Arabia, Oracle is committed to helping the country achieve its goal of developing one of the strongest digital economies in the world.”

“As part of our wider investment in cloud capabilities in Saudi Arabia, the Oracle Cloud Riyadh Region will help accelerate adoption of cloud and AI technologies to boost innovation across all sectors of the Saudi economy, while helping organizations addressing local data hosting requirements.”

With the Oracle Cloud Riyadh Region adding to the existing Oracle Cloud Jeddah Region, customers and partners can gain low-latency access to cloud services to help them derive better value from their data.

Customers can also leverage high availability and backup and disaster recovery capabilities across the two regions in Saudi Arabia to enhance business continuity and help address local regulations and requirements for local data hosting.

In addition, OCI’s sovereign AI capabilities provide customers with increased control over where they locate their data and computing infrastructure and how they manage it. As a result, customers can make use of AI capabilities designed with the requirements of digital sovereignty frameworks in mind.

OCI’s unique cloud architecture enables Oracle to launch dedicated cloud regions with hyperscale cloud services inside customer data centres and deploy more public cloud regions faster by starting with an optimal footprint and scaling as needed.

This approach helps meet the needs of all countries and markets without compromising cloud capabilities, while also providing the consistent performance, SLAs, and global pricing for which OCI has become known.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with Oracle as they expand their cloud infrastructure in Saudi Arabia with the new Riyadh cloud region,” said Fahad Alhajeri, chief executive officer, center3.

“This strategic initiative delivers on our shared vision of fostering technological innovation and advancing the digital economy of the kingdom.

“Oracle's cloud regions in Saudi Arabia will play an important role in enhancing data sovereignty, driving digital transformation, and empowering businesses across the country to achieve greater agility and growth.”

“Oracle’s continued expansion of its cloud footprint in Saudi Arabia is vital as companies increasingly leverage AI and GenAI capabilities,” said Jyoti Lalchandani, regional managing director, Middle East, Türkiye, Africa & India, IDC.

“Local cloud infrastructure helps organizations ensure faster data processing, enhanced security, and their compliance with national regulations, helping them innovate more efficiently and effectively.

“This strategic move not only supports the Kingdom’s vision to leverage artificial intelligence to drive digital transformation, but also empowers companies to harness the full potential of AI, driving competitive advantage and creating local value and growth in the kingdom.” – TradeArabia News Service

 

 

IT & Telecommunications

Gulf Data Hub seals strategic partnership with KKR

Gulf Data Hub, one of the largest independent data center platforms in the Middle East, has announced that the funds affiliated with leading global investment firm KKR will acquire a stake in the Dubai-based group. 
 
The investment, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is being made through KKR’s Global Infrastructure strategy.
 
The transaction marks one of the largest international investments into a UAE-founded and managed business in a fast-growing sector that benefits from high demand and major competitive advantages, reaffirming the UAE’s leadership in accelerating digital and AI capabilities.
 
Upon completion, KKR and GDH have committed to support over $5 billion of total investment to grow GDHs’ market leading position and to support its international growth plans through organic and inorganic strategies.
 
Commenting on the transaction, Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, who witnessed the signing ceremony in Dubai, said: "The UAE exemplifies visionary leadership, driving digital and AI capabilities to new heights. By transforming ambitious visions into the achievements we are witnessing today, it sets a global benchmark for innovation and progress."
 
"Through groundbreaking initiatives and strategic investments, the UAE is shaping a future where technology enhances lives, fuels economic prosperity, and unlocks boundless opportunities," he stated.
 
Al Olama pointed out that this milestone underscores the strength of the UAE’s digital economy, enhances the journey of growth, and aligns with the National Strategy for Digital Economy. 
 
Building on the momentum of 2024, marked by the launch of numerous data centres, it represents a strong start to 2025 and reaffirms the UAE’s dedication to strengthening its digital infrastructure. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, the UAE continues to lead, inspiring the world by advancing human potential and creating a smarter, more connected tomorrow, he stated.
 
Tarek Al Ashram, Founder and CEO of Gulf Data Hub, said: "Today marks a milestone in our growth journey as we welcome KKR, a global leader in digital infrastructure investing, as a strategic partner in our business. Over the past 12 years, GDH has grown into one of the most successful data center platforms in the region, supporting the business needs of sophisticated cloud and enterprise software customers."
 
"The strategic partnership with KKR will enable us to leverage their deep expertise, positioning us to achieve our pan-regional ambitions and deliver on our mandate of being a partner and provider of choice," he noted.
 
Tara Davies, Co-Head of KKR (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Co-Head of European Infrastructure, said: "The Middle East is a fast-growing region for hyperscale deployment. With competitively priced and readily available sources of energy, an unmatched ability to serve as a gateway hub for Asia and Africa, and sustained government commitment to power the growth of the digital sector, we believe it is today one of the most attractive investment destinations for long-term capital."
 
She pointed out that the group's investment in GDH aligns with its conviction in digital infrastructure and enables the firm to leverage its global connectivity to drive value and accelerate the growth of a leading business in the region.
 
"It also reinforces KKR’s continued commitment to the Middle East, following our landmark investment in Adnoc Oil Pipelines as well our work with Etihad alongside Altavair AirFinance," she added.-TradeArabia News Service

IT & Telecommunications

Al Futtaim unveils smart lifestyle advisor Blue AI

Leading UAE business conglomerate Al Futtaim has announced the launch of Blue AI, a groundbreaking feature within the Blue Rewards app that empowers customers to interact with all their favourite brands in new and dynamic ways. 
 
The feature will reach more than five million Blue Rewards customers in the first year. 
 
The announcement was made at Al-Futtaim's AI Summit, showcasing the group's ongoing focus on integrating cutting edge technologies to improve customer experiences.
 
The first AI platform of its kind in the Middle East, Blue AI developed by Al Futtaim is a smart lifestyle advisor and customer engagement platform that offers seamless guidance and tailored insights across the Blue ecosystem of products and services, setting a new standard in personalised customer engagement.
 
Blue AI offers several core features designed to enhance the customer journey; users can browse fashion essentials tailored to their unique tastes, get instant access to beauty products with expert guidance, enjoy automated product recommendations, access test drive bookings at their fingertips and also seamlessly integrates a streamlined one-click multi-brand checkout experience that simplifies shopping like never before. 
 
Designed with customers at its core, this innovative platform enriches the user journey by offering experiences uniquely suited to every individual’s preference.
 
Moza Al Futtaim, Chief AI Officer at Al-Futtaim, said: "At Al-Futtaim, we are dedicated to driving innovation across our ecosystem, inspiring meaningful change and making everyday life better. That’s why we are so excited to introduce Blue AI, created to enrich the customer journey and enhance their experience."
 
"AI has emerged as a powerful tool for personalisation, and we are harnessing it to better understand what truly matters to our customers. Blue AI helps us turn deep insights into meaningful actions, making every minute on the app smarter, smoother, and more in tune with your needs," he noted. 
 
"The launch of Blue AI goes beyond technology – it’s about using innovation to spark genuine connections and transform the way we serve each individual user," he stated.
 
According to him, the launch of Blue AI aligns with the UAE’s overarching vision to become a global leader in innovation, where advanced technologies such as AI are harnessed to enhance everyday life. 
 
It also comes as part of Al-Futtaim's broader commitment to adopting data-driven technology in the quest to enhance customer experience and provide diverse avenues to navigate the digital shopping landscape, he added.
 
Himanshu Shrivastava, Group Chief Technology Officer at Al Futtaim, said: "Human centred approach is at the heart of how we design our platforms, and Blue AI exemplifies our dedication to continuous innovation in the retail space."
 
"With this new feature, we are transforming how customers shop, learning from their preferences while elevating the experience to new levels. By fostering deeper connections between customers and the brands and products they love, Blue AI delivers a faster, more intuitive, and ultimately more enjoyable shopping journey," he added.
 
Blue AI is initially launching in the UAE, before expanding to eight markets across the region in its first year, bringing its groundbreaking capabilities to an even broader audience. 
 
This launch underscores Al-Futtaim's dedication to customer-centric innovation, empowering individuals to make smarter, more convenient choices through tailored, intuitive solutions.-TradeArabia News Service