Riyadh, February 13, 2025 – The fourth annual LEAP25 conference, the region's premier technology event, wrapped up on Wednesday at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, under the theme "Into New Worlds." This year's event marked another milestone in Saudi Arabia's growing influence as a global hub for innovation and investment in artificial intelligence (AI), infrastructure, and cloud computing, with total investments surpassing $14.9 billion. These impressive figures highlight the Kingdom’s strengthening position as a leading player in the digital economy, with the conference drawing attention to its expanding technological capabilities and the vibrant ecosystem being developed within its borders.
The success of LEAP25 underscores the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to position itself as a center for advanced technologies and innovation. This momentum is driven by the strong leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, whose support and commitment to the tech and innovation sectors have been pivotal in realizing the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Under his guidance, Saudi Arabia continues to push forward with ambitious plans to be at the forefront of technology, AI, and entrepreneurship, securing its place as a global leader in these fields.
LEAP25 has solidified its reputation as a global platform, bringing together leading experts, thinkers, and practitioners from the digital realm. The conference was an empowering event for entrepreneurs, fostering innovation in AI and providing a dynamic environment that nurtures the transition toward a sustainable digital economy. It also facilitated meaningful exchanges, helping to connect startups with investors and opening up new opportunities for emerging businesses across the region and beyond.
Faisal Al-Khamisi, Chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones, and the Chairman of Tahaluf Company, emphasized that LEAP25 was not just a conference but a truly global platform for deal-making and collaboration. He highlighted the event's significant role in driving innovation and supporting entrepreneurial ventures, as well as the striking speed at which deals were concluded. In fact, many major investments—totaling nearly $15 billion—were secured within just a few days at LEAP25, a process that typically takes up to a year in other markets. This remarkable pace of deal-making highlights Saudi Arabia's growing status as an attractive and fast-moving hub for tech investments.
Al-Khamisi also announced that LEAP would expand its reach beyond Saudi Arabia, with two editions scheduled for next year—one in Riyadh and another in Hong Kong. This expansion reflects Saudi Arabia’s strategic goal of further solidifying its position as a global leader in the digital economy, innovation, and AI, while also providing opportunities for international collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
The LEAP25 conference has proven to be a defining event in the digital landscape, demonstrating the Kingdom’s leadership in the tech sector and its ability to attract substantial global investments. With such a strong track record of success, LEAP is poised to become a key fixture on the global tech and innovation calendar, contributing significantly to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 aspirations of diversifying its economy and becoming a global center for technology, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth.
