Saudi Arabia Climbs into Global Top Five for AI Growth as Investments Surge
Kingdom ranks fifth worldwide — and first in Arab world — in 2025 Global AI Index amid sweeping reforms and talent-boosting initiatives
Saudi Arabia has secured a place among the world’s fastest-growing artificial intelligence (AI) economies, ranking fifth globally and first in the Arab world for AI sector growth in the 2025 Global AI Index.
The position reflects a rapid acceleration across multiple dimensions — investment, infrastructure, workforce development and technological output.
The jump in ranking builds on a series of strategic reforms spearheaded by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).
Among the most impactful was the “Rowad Package,” designed to support a surge in AI-centred entrepreneurship by enabling secure electronic verification via linkage to national data systems.
Complementing that, the “AI Ethics Incentive Badges” initiative established frameworks aimed at encouraging responsible AI development, and over 50 national AI companies have already earned accreditation certificates for products deployed in key sectors.
On the human capital front, Saudi-backed education and training schemes have dramatically scaled up the development of AI professionals.
The SAMAI Initiative — part of broader Vision 2030 ambitions — has provided data- and AI-skill training to more than one million Saudis.
Analysts point to surging demand for AI talent across public- and private-sector projects, while the country’s relative success in attracting skilled professionals globally has improved its competitiveness.
Institutional capacity has expanded in tandem.
In 2025, the newly founded state-backed company Humain began operations with a mandate to build high-performance data centres, cloud-AI infrastructure and advanced Arabic-language AI models.
The firm’s launch signals Riyadh’s ambition to anchor its AI sector on sovereign platforms rather than rely solely on foreign providers.
The up-surge in growth also reflects wider structural shifts.
As global attention intensifies around generative AI, Saudi Arabia has capitalised on its energy-rich environment and strategic investments in data-centre infrastructure to offer competitive computing capacity.
Observers note that the Kingdom’s combination of policy support, human-resource development and regulatory clarity forms a compelling model for emerging AI hubs.
With this ranking, Saudi Arabia reinforces the vision underlying its long-term economic transformation plan: to pivot away from oil-dependence and secure a leadership position in advanced technology.
The challenge ahead will be sustaining momentum — ensuring that growth translates into real-world innovation, ethical deployment, and inclusive opportunity across society.
The world is watching.
And for now, the numbers place Riyadh among the top tier of global AI powerhouses.
The position reflects a rapid acceleration across multiple dimensions — investment, infrastructure, workforce development and technological output.
The jump in ranking builds on a series of strategic reforms spearheaded by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).
Among the most impactful was the “Rowad Package,” designed to support a surge in AI-centred entrepreneurship by enabling secure electronic verification via linkage to national data systems.
Complementing that, the “AI Ethics Incentive Badges” initiative established frameworks aimed at encouraging responsible AI development, and over 50 national AI companies have already earned accreditation certificates for products deployed in key sectors.
On the human capital front, Saudi-backed education and training schemes have dramatically scaled up the development of AI professionals.
The SAMAI Initiative — part of broader Vision 2030 ambitions — has provided data- and AI-skill training to more than one million Saudis.
Analysts point to surging demand for AI talent across public- and private-sector projects, while the country’s relative success in attracting skilled professionals globally has improved its competitiveness.
Institutional capacity has expanded in tandem.
In 2025, the newly founded state-backed company Humain began operations with a mandate to build high-performance data centres, cloud-AI infrastructure and advanced Arabic-language AI models.
The firm’s launch signals Riyadh’s ambition to anchor its AI sector on sovereign platforms rather than rely solely on foreign providers.
The up-surge in growth also reflects wider structural shifts.
As global attention intensifies around generative AI, Saudi Arabia has capitalised on its energy-rich environment and strategic investments in data-centre infrastructure to offer competitive computing capacity.
Observers note that the Kingdom’s combination of policy support, human-resource development and regulatory clarity forms a compelling model for emerging AI hubs.
With this ranking, Saudi Arabia reinforces the vision underlying its long-term economic transformation plan: to pivot away from oil-dependence and secure a leadership position in advanced technology.
The challenge ahead will be sustaining momentum — ensuring that growth translates into real-world innovation, ethical deployment, and inclusive opportunity across society.
The world is watching.
And for now, the numbers place Riyadh among the top tier of global AI powerhouses.
