Riyadh brings tech giants together at LEAP 2026 as major deals loom

Riyadh is preparing for a technology gathering that Saudi officials expect to produce major deals with some of the world’s largest technology companies. LEAP 2026 is due to open with more than 200,000 attendees, 1,900 investors and 1,000 speakers from around the world.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Abdullah Alswaha said agreements were expected with companies including Amazon and Nvidia. Microsoft is also expected to launch its Azure cloud services in Saudi Arabia. Alswaha called LEAP “the largest technology movement of the 21st century.”

The minister presented the event as evidence of Saudi Arabia’s expanding technology sector. He said the digital economy had grown by more than 75%, from about SAR 300 billion ($80 billion) to SAR 522 billion ($139.2 billion). Employment across the technology ecosystem rose from 150,000 to 410,000 jobs, he said.

Alswaha also said Saudi Arabia now has nine unicorn companies and ranks first globally in digital readiness. The country has more than 80 specialised schools, while university artificial-intelligence programmes are intended to train about 30,000 students. Fiber-optic penetration stands at 32%.

The National Technology Development Program has supported more than 1,500 entrepreneurs and helped drive activity among 5,000 companies. About 60% of technology investments are directed toward data centers. Announced launches and investments from LEAP’s first four Riyadh editions exceeded $44.2 billion, while the event expanded to Hong Kong in July 2026 with LEAP East.

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the largest technology movement of the 21st century