RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is emerging as a major player in the global artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, ranking among the world’s top 10 countries for private AI investment while gaining recognition as an attractive destination for AI talent and a model for government data integration, according to the World Bank Group’s World Development Report 2026.
The report, the World Bank’s first comprehensive assessment of AI’s impact on developing economies, examines the opportunities AI can create for individuals, businesses and governments, as well as the requirements for maximising its development benefits while managing associated risks, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The World Bank highlighted Saudi Arabia’s progress as part of a broader national strategy supported by Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to build a data-, computing- and innovation-driven economy and strengthen the Kingdom’s role in shaping the future of AI.
The report identifies three key dimensions that determine AI’s impact on development: Capabilities, Concentration and Complements.
Capabilities refer to AI’s ability to expand access to expertise and improve decision-making; Concentration reflects the dominance of a limited number of countries and companies in advanced models, chips and data centres; while Complements include connectivity, data, skills, infrastructure and institutions.
تقرير البنك الدولي 2026 يبرز تقدم المملكة في الاستثمار واستقطاب الكفاءات في الذكاء الاصطناعي.https://t.co/OwGxNQujub#واس pic.twitter.com/FGWkLIBq4x
— واس الاقتصادي (@SPAeconomic) August 12, 2026
According to the report, countries can advance through a progressive AI pathway, beginning with the adoption of existing tools, followed by adapting them to local languages, data, institutions and needs, and ultimately moving towards the development of advanced technologies and supporting infrastructure.
The World Bank stressed that the benefits of AI depend not only on access to the most advanced models but also on developing an integrated ecosystem of connectivity, computing capacity, data, skills and institutions. Locally tailored AI solutions can expand access to expertise, boost productivity, improve public services and support economic growth.
Under its Concentration assessment, the report noted that Saudi Arabia is combining tax incentives with special economic zones to attract investment in data centres and expand computing capacity.
The strategy also connects investment attraction with the development of a wider AI ecosystem encompassing talent, startups, energy and digital infrastructure, positioning the Kingdom to support the continued growth of AI applications.
This recognition aligns with the rapid growth of the Kingdom’s digital infrastructure. Data centre capacity increased from 68 MW in 2021 to 440 MW in 2025, before rising further to 467 MW in the first quarter of 2026, representing an increase of more than 6% since the beginning of the year and nearly sevenfold compared with 2021.
4G and 5G network coverage reached 99% by the end of 2025, while average internet speed reached 216 Mbps, providing key enablers for the expansion of cloud services and AI applications.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia’s AI Tool Adoption Surges to 45.2%
Under the Capabilities dimension, the report highlights Saudi Arabia’s ability to attract specialized talent, noting that in 2025 the Kingdom was among the economies with the highest net inflows of AI professionals per 10,000 LinkedIn members, alongside Luxembourg, Australia, and Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia also recorded a net inflow of 3.08 among leading AI authors and innovators in the same year, reflecting the growing attractiveness of the Saudi technology ecosystem to highly specialized talent.
This momentum is accompanied by continued growth in the Kingdom’s national talent base. Saudi Arabia’s technology workforce has grown to approximately 426,000, representing cumulative growth of 186.6% compared with 2018, when it stood at 150,000.
Women’s participation in communications and information technology professions has also risen to 35%, broadening the Kingdom’s talent pool and strengthening the diversity of capabilities supporting an economy driven by technology and innovation.
Under the Complements dimension, the report presents Saudi Arabia’s experience as a model for building public data infrastructure.
It highlights a platform operated by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) that enables data integration across more than 60 government entities while allowing the data to remain within their respective systems.
The report presents this experience as a model for structured data exchange, enabling government entities to develop more effective applications while strengthening governance, trust, and data protection.
The findings highlighted in the World Bank report affirm that Saudi Arabia is advancing an integrated approach in the intelligent era, bringing together investment in infrastructure, compute and data, talent development, the regulatory environment, and the expanded application of technology across the economy and public services.
This approach reinforces the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for data and artificial intelligence and supports the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
