Second Annual Google Cloud Saudi Summit Celebrates SAR 31 Billion Economic Impact and 590,000 Trained Digital Skills Milestone
The second annual Google Cloud Saudi Summit concluded yesterday in Riyadh, gathering over 2,500 in-person attendees—a diverse audience of leaders, innovators, and visionaries—under the theme: “In the Cloud: The New Reality of Saudi Innovation.” The event served as a powerful showcase of Google Cloud’s deep commitment to the Kingdom’s future.
This commitment was anchored by the unveiling of significant data quantifying the economic value generated in the Kingdom, providing a strong foundation for future national growth.
Google Cloud Saudi Arabia General Manager, Bader Almadi, announced that Google has generated over SAR 31 billion in economic value in the Kingdom in 2024 alone through the combined use of Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, Google Cloud, and Google Advertising tools[1].
This economic contribution reinforces Google Cloud’s role as an “engine of change” across major national sectors, including Healthcare, Finance, and the national startup ecosystem, with a specific focus on the strategic partnership with Qiddiya.
This partnership, which includes the recent launch of a Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE) designed to accelerate Qiddiya’s adoption of cloud technologies to run the new city’s systems securely and efficiently, is accelerating the digital foundation for the imminent opening of Six Flags Qiddiya City, a key Vision 2030 attraction.
A moving highlight of the Summit powerfully reinforced that the core of Google’s mission is empowering people. The audience was deeply inspired by Dr. Amal AlSaif, founder of the Tawasal charity and mother to Eng.
Anas Al-Turki. Dr. Amal shared her personal journey of turning a family crisis into a national contribution by using Google Cloud AI and Text-to-Speech technology to build life-changing solutions, including the Arabic Communication App and the Lip-Reading App, which deliver dignity and independence for the disabled and elderly community. Her son, Anas, a co-innovator and living proof of the mission, delivered a final powerful message to the technology leaders, thanking Google for making innovation accessible and human-centered.
Innovation was demonstrably showcased through dedicated customer and partner demo pods and engaging interactive AI experiences. Among the most notable was the demonstration of theMinistry of Health (MoH)’s new AI-powered Smart Health Coach, built in collaboration with Leanusing Google Cloud and integrated into the national “Sehaty” app.
This cutting-edge tool leverages Gemini on Vertex AI to offer citizens personalized, instant health guidance via live voice and video, accelerating the nation’s preventative health agenda under Vision 2030. Other demonstrations included an AI Agent Bar, allowing attendees to easily create and test various AI agents designed for specific job tasks.
Crucially, the summit addressed the talent imperative—celebrating the milestone of over 590,000 people already trained in digital and AI skills through programs like Maharat Min Google[2]. Building on this success, a major new collaboration was unveiled with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to launch the AI & Cloud Tour.
This initiative is a strategic next step designed to scale the proven impact of the Google Cloud Center of Excellence (CoE) nationwide, leveraging the CoE’s successful track record of training over 35,000 learners since 2022[3].
This powerful new chapter will take the proven expertise of the Center of Excellence nationwide, delivering world-class, hands-on training powered by certifications and focused on high-demand, high-growth technology areas, including Generative AI, Agentic AI, Data Analytics & ML, Infrastructure Modernization, Cybersecurity, and Application Modernization.
The program is structured as a 1-week hybrid roadshow targeting 10 central cities in 10 different regions other than Riyadh to ensure national coverage. The collaboration leverages Google Cloud’s expertise and curriculum along with MCIT’s national ecosystem reach and access to regional hubs, universities, and academies.
By empowering a future-ready workforce and offering two foundational professional certifications—Cloud Digital Leader and Generative AI Leader—the AI & Cloud Kingdom Tour directly supports the ambitious digital economy human capital agenda of Saudi Vision 2030. The hands-on training phase is scheduled to begin in April 2026.
