Amazon Web Services, a division of Amazon.com, announced its plans to launch data centers in Saudi Arabia by 2026 with an investment exceeding $5.3 billion in the kingdom. This move is aimed at providing customers with a secure platform to store content and run workloads, offering increased speed and efficiency for users. The decision comes as part of a larger trend among tech giants like Amazon, Google’s parent company Alphabet, and Microsoft to ramp up investments in data centers to support the growing demand for artificial intelligence technologies.
Notable customers in the region set to benefit from AWS services include Saudi Telecom Company SJSC, Seera Holding, and Mobily, among others. The potential for increased AI activity in Saudi Arabia was highlighted by the head of the country’s Public Investment Fund last month, positioning the kingdom as a prime location outside the United States for such technological advancements. Both Apple and Amazon have been in talks with Riyadh about investing in Saudi Arabia, signaling a growing interest in the region as a hub for innovation and technological development.
Overall, Amazon’s investment in data centers in Saudi Arabia reflects a larger industry trend towards expanding infrastructure to support the growing demand for cloud services and artificial intelligence technologies. By catering to the needs of customers in the region, AWS aims to provide a secure platform for storing data and running workloads efficiently while contributing to the technological development and advancement in Saudi Arabia. This move also aligns with the country’s ambitions to position itself as a key player in the global AI landscape, leveraging its energy resources and funding capacity to attract investments from major tech companies.
