Oracle Corp. has announced the launch of its second public cloud region in Riyadh as part of a $1.5 billion investment aimed at advancing Saudi Arabia’s digital infrastructure. This new Riyadh cloud region will offer both public and private sector organizations in the Kingdom access to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, enabling them to modernize applications and drive innovation through data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). 

This expansion is expected to play a pivotal role in Saudi Arabia’s AI economy, which is projected to reach $135.2 billion by 2030. The Riyadh region is part of Oracle’s broader distributed cloud strategy, complementing the existing cloud region in Jeddah and upcoming plans for another in NEOM. 

Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Haytham Al-Ohali, remarked, “The establishment of Oracle’s new cloud region in Riyadh underscores the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the digital economy through cutting-edge technologies and innovation.” He further emphasized that this development will support both international and local businesses in advancing AI and cloud computing adoption, thereby boosting Saudi Arabia’s competitive edge regionally and globally. 

Hosted by Center3, the Riyadh cloud region will contribute to Oracle’s eight cloud regions across the Middle East and North Africa. Richard Smith, Executive Vice President and General Manager of EMEA Cloud Infrastructure at Oracle, highlighted that the new region will aid Saudi Arabia in developing a robust digital economy by accelerating the adoption of cloud and AI technologies and addressing local data hosting needs. 

The Riyadh cloud region will provide low-latency access to cloud services, high availability, backup and disaster recovery capabilities, and AI features designed to meet digital sovereignty requirements. This infrastructure will help organizations comply with local data regulations and ensure AI sovereignty. 

Center3 CEO Fahad AlHajjeri stated that this initiative aligns with the shared vision of fostering technological innovation and advancing the Kingdom’s digital economy. Jyoti Lalchandani, Regional Managing Director of IDC, added that Oracle’s expanded cloud presence in Saudi Arabia is crucial for enabling faster data processing, enhanced security, and compliance with national regulations, thus facilitating more efficient and effective innovation.