Saudi Arabia Ranks Among World’s Top 10 Countries for Private AI Investment

Saudi Arabia ranks among the world’s top 10 countries for private artificial intelligence investment, according to the World Bank, as expanding computing infrastructure and a larger technology workforce strengthen the Kingdom’s position in the global AI economy.

The ranking appears in the World Bank’s World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence, which examines the opportunities, limitations and policy implications of AI for developing economies. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology also highlighted the finding.

Rather than identifying Saudi Arabia as a leading developer of frontier AI models, the report places its progress within the broader AI value chain, where investment, computing capacity, data, skills and institutions influence whether countries can adopt and adapt the technology effectively.

Investment Extends Beyond AI Models

Saudi Arabia is among the top 10 countries globally for private AI investment, the World Bank report states. It points to the combination of tax incentives and special economic zones as part of the Kingdom’s effort to attract data-center investment and increase computing capacity.

The finding offers a wider view of the international AI market. Much of the global discussion has focused on a small number of companies developing advanced chips and large AI models, but the infrastructure supporting those systems has created opportunities elsewhere. Countries with access to land, energy, capital and reliable digital networks can participate by hosting data centers and helping businesses deploy AI services.

Saudi Arabia’s ranking does not mean private AI investment is evenly distributed across its economy, nor does it by itself measure the commercial success of individual projects. It does, however, show that investors are directing substantial attention toward the Kingdom as it builds the infrastructure and policy environment needed to support more data-intensive industries.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology described the ranking as part of an interconnected national approach spanning investment, talent, computing infrastructure and government data. The ministry also said Saudi Arabia’s digital economy accounted for 16% of gross domestic product, providing a broader economic setting for the country’s AI ambitions.

Data Centers Become a Central Part of the Strategy

Computing capacity has expanded quickly. Saudi Arabia’s operational data-center capacity increased from 68 megawatts in 2021 to 440 megawatts in 2025 before reaching 467 megawatts during the first quarter of 2026, according to a ministry announcement. The latest figure represents growth of more than 6% from the beginning of 2026 and nearly sevenfold growth compared with 2021.

More than 60 data centers now operate across the Kingdom, the ministry said. These facilities form part of the physical foundation required for cloud platforms and AI applications, which depend on large volumes of computing power, storage and network connectivity. Their expansion also reflects a global race to secure suitable locations for increasingly power-intensive digital infrastructure.

Saudi officials are also emphasizing connectivity. Fourth- and fifth-generation mobile network coverage reached 99% by the end of 2025, while average internet speed stood at 216 megabits per second, according to the ministry announcement. Those conditions can support the delivery of cloud-based tools, although computing capacity alone cannot guarantee widespread or productive AI adoption.

A Larger Technology Workforce Takes Shape

Saudi Arabia’s technology workforce has reached approximately 426,000, up from 150,000 in 2018, the communications ministry reported. That represents cumulative growth of 186.6% over the period and suggests that the expansion of the country’s digital sector is being accompanied by a much larger pool of workers.

Women account for 35% of professionals in communications and information technology occupations, according to the same ministry data.

International recruitment forms another part of the talent picture. The World Bank found that Saudi Arabia was among the economies recording the highest net inflows of AI professionals per 10,000 LinkedIn members in 2025, alongside Australia, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. The measure provides an indication of professional movement captured through LinkedIn data rather than a complete count of every AI specialist entering or leaving the country.

Government Data Emerges as a Test Case

Saudi Arabia’s public-sector data systems received separate attention in the World Bank report. It highlighted a platform operated by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority that connects more than 60 government entities while allowing their data to remain within their respective systems.

The model is intended to make structured data exchange possible without concentrating every participating agency’s information in one location. According to the communications ministry, the arrangement can help government bodies build more effective applications while preserving governance, trust and data-protection controls.

Public data is particularly important to AI because the usefulness of an application often depends on whether it can draw on accurate, relevant and locally representative information. Integration can improve service delivery, but it also places responsibility on government institutions to maintain security, access controls and clear rules governing how information is used.

Saudi Arabia designated 2026 as its “Year of Artificial Intelligence” following a Cabinet decision on March 10. The designation places AI at the center of the government’s technology agenda.

The Kingdom’s top-10 position shows that private capital has already made Saudi Arabia a significant part of the global AI investment map.