Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)’s competent authority concerned with data and AI including big data, has recently announced new data center projects in the capital city of Riyadh.
SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, on Saturday, launched several technical infrastructure expansion projects and new data centers in Riyadh. These projects were unveiled at an event attended by Director of the National Information Center Dr. Essam Al-Waqit, along with other SDAIA leaders and officials.
According to a press release, the new data centers are “the first of their kind in Saudi Arabia”, and feature an electrical capacity of up to 65 kilowatts per cabin. The exact number of new data centers, or total new capacity being developed as part of these projects, is as yet not known.
“The projects are designed to enhance the capacity and operational efficiency of data centers across the Kingdom,” read the statement. “These initiatives are part of SDAIA’s broader strategy to develop sustainable data centers that adhere to the best global practices and standards established by the UPTIME Institute, the leading authority on data center evaluation and classification.”
Saudi Arabia ended 2023 as the fastest growing data center market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Today, it has close to two dozen data centers established and operated by major global and regional players such as Gulf Data Hub (GDH), GO Datacenter (Etihad Atheeb Telecom), NourNET, Mobily, etc.
Saudi Arabia has already seen huge investments in 2023 by technology giants such as Oracle, Google, Microsoft, Huawei and many more. The market growth has been aided by the government’s digital push via Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s ambitious plan for economic diversification, attracting foreign investment, developing high tech modern infrastructure in exclusive business and leisure zones, as well as building futuristic cities such as NEOM. The Kingdom also has a Cloud First policy.
According to Mordor Intelligence, “The Saudi Arabia Data Center Market size is estimated at 345.31 MW in 2024, and is expected to reach 854.81 MW by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 19.88% during the forecast period (2024-2029).”