The fourth day of LEAP 2026 saw the launch of an integrated ecosystem of academies, centers of excellence, and specialized initiatives through partnerships between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Saudi Digital Academy, and a number of leading global technology companies. These initiatives aim to invest in national talent, develop skills in artificial intelligence, data, and content creation, and align human capabilities with labor market needs and promising sectors.
 The launches included the Gemini initiative, in partnership with Google, providing one million students at Saudi universities with access to advanced AI technologies to support their educational journey, develop their skills, and strengthen their readiness for the jobs of the future.
 An AI Academy was also launched in partnership with WeCloudData to train 500 teachers, 500 university faculty members, and 1,000 startup entrepreneurs, alongside providing online learning programs to 35,000 learners. The initiative aims to help bridge the gap between classroom learning, practical application, and labor market needs.
 The launches also included a digital innovation ecosystem, in partnership with a social media company, targeting 20,000 beneficiaries. It includes a center of excellence, an innovation center, and a digital sustainability initiative, with specialized programs in digital marketing, augmented reality, spatial computing, and digital safety.
 To build digital capabilities for future-focused sectors, an initiative was launched in partnership with Schneider Electric, combining digital learning with in-person training and targeting 10,000 participants by 2030.
 The Saudi AI Forward initiative was also announced in partnership with ServiceNow to empower 1.2 million beneficiaries with AI skills and provide them with professional certifications, opening up broader opportunities for national talent to grow and participate in the digital economy.
 The conference also saw the launch of the Artefact School of AI & Data in the Kingdom, targeting more than 20,000 graduates by 2034 with training in data and advanced analytics and connecting them with high-value opportunities that contribute to enhancing business efficiency.
 As part of efforts to move from AI awareness to practical application, the Alif Applied Generative AI initiative was launched in partnership with Scale AI under a four-year national partnership aimed at equipping 100,000 beneficiaries by 2030.
 The launches also included the AI for Sectors initiative, in partnership with Intel, to equip 100,000 beneficiaries with specialized AI skills through tracks aligned with the needs of promising sectors and designed to enhance the adoption of advanced technologies across these sectors.
 As part of efforts to develop talent and strengthen the AI knowledge ecosystem, an AI Academy was launched in partnership with Microsoft, targeting one million beneficiaries, with a goal of reaching three million by 2030, alongside the AI Arabia Center of Excellence, which will support specialized research, expertise, and knowledge content.
 These launches reflect the Kingdom’s commitment to building a broad national talent base capable of developing and applying AI solutions, enhancing the competitiveness of economic sectors, and reinforcing the Kingdom’s leadership in the Intelligence Age.
 

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), in partnership with Microsoft and Gulf Intelligence, concluded a series of roundtable sessions held as part of the activities accompanying LEAP 2026. The sessions brought together more than 30 representatives from government entities, the private sector, and academic institutions, with the aim of strengthening the readiness of national talent to keep pace with the rapid transformations driven by artificial intelligence across the labor market and digital economy.
The sessions explored the future of skills and human capital amid the accelerating adoption of AI technologies, highlighting the importance of building an agile national skills ecosystem that can respond to technological change and help align education and training outcomes with the current and future needs of the labor market.
Discussions highlighted the importance of human capital as a key pillar in maximizing the benefits of AI by raising awareness and readiness, developing workforce skills, and expanding upskilling and reskilling programs. These efforts aim to enable national talent to effectively leverage emerging technologies and benefit from the professional and economic opportunities they create.
The sessions also addressed AI’s role in enhancing productivity, accelerating economic transformation, and creating new business models and job opportunities, alongside the importance of building national capabilities to strengthen organizational readiness, enable organizations to capitalize on emerging technologies, and generate sustainable economic impact.
Participants emphasized the importance of collaboration among government entities, the private sector, and academic institutions in anticipating priority future skills, designing education and training programs that respond to actual labor market needs, and preparing national talent for the transformations shaping the digital economy.
The sessions form part of MCIT’s ongoing efforts to develop national digital capabilities and build qualified human capital equipped to keep pace with rapid technological transformation, contributing to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and strengthening the Kingdom’s competitiveness and leadership in the global digital economy.

LEAP 2026 continued its technology and investment momentum on its third day, with new announcements totaling $857 million across funding rounds, investment funds, and strategic expansions in cloud computing, data centers, and technology manufacturing. The announcements highlight the Kingdom’s position as a thriving hub for startups and accelerating their growth into global markets.
Venture capital investments led the third day’s announcements, totaling approximately $293 million across 11 announcements, including nine funding rounds and investments worth $126.15 million, alongside the launch of a new fund and the expansion of a financing fund with a combined value of $166.7 million.
The funding rounds covered companies operating across AI, fintech, travel, gaming, human resources, and the digital automotive marketplace, including COFE Tech, FlyAkeed, Nayla Finance, Sayarah, RABEH, Hazen.ai, ZenHR, Abwab.ai, and TAKA House, with participation from a range of local and international funds and investors.
The fund announcements included Ula Capital’s launch of a $100 million fund, in partnership with South Korea’s FuturePlay, to connect deep-tech investment opportunities between Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Impact46 and HALA also announced the expansion of their SME financing fund from $26.7 million to $66.7 million, representing a 150% increase in less than two years.
Building on this investment momentum, Snowflake announced a $300 million investment to expand in the Kingdom through 2030, including the opening of its regional headquarters, the launch of two additional cloud regions in the second half of 2026, and the training of 25,000 people, further strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a regional hub for data and cloud computing.
In support of localizing technology manufacturing, Alfanar announced a $150 million investment to manufacture data center components in the Kingdom, strengthening national infrastructure capabilities and expanding local content in advanced technology industries.
LogRhythm Middle East announced the establishment of a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in the Kingdom, targeting the training and empowerment of 50,000 Saudi men and women, alongside expanding research and innovation and developing advanced security solutions. The initiative supports national capability building and strengthens talent readiness for the Intelligence Age.
Global CTS Group and Saudi company Desert Technologies announced a partnership to localize the manufacturing of core data center components, as well as data center design and construction, and establish specialized manufacturing facilities to produce and export integrated power modules, leveraging Saudi expertise and global standards.
On the conference’s Main Stage, HUMAIN showcased two of its enterprise AI solutions, HUMAIN Enterprise Chat and HUMAIN Marketplace, demonstrating how its full-stack AI capabilities are being translated into practical tools for enterprises and accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies.
The presentation featured Dr. Yaser Al-Onaizan, Deputy CEO and President of Intelligence; Dr. Areeb Alowisheq, VP of Models; and Dr. Manal Alassaf, SVP of Marketplace. They highlighted the role of the two products in making AI technologies easier for enterprises to access, adopt, and deploy within secure business environments.
HUMAIN Enterprise Chat provides a secure, enterprise-grade conversational AI experience, enabling employees to integrate AI into everyday workflows while maintaining enterprise governance, security, and control requirements. In just weeks, the product has attracted more than 30 clients.
HUMAIN Marketplace provides a centralized destination where enterprises can discover and access AI models, agents, applications, and solutions from HUMAIN and its wider ecosystem, accelerating the transition from advanced AI capabilities to practical adoption in enterprise environments.
The Day Three announcements underscore the continued momentum across the Kingdom’s technology and innovation ecosystem, its growing ability to attract capital and strategic investments, empower startups, localize advanced industries, and build a competitive digital economy that drives opportunities in the Intelligence Age.