Non-Oil GDP Share: 76% ▲ -7.7pp vs 2020 | Saudi Unemployment: 3.5% ▲ -0.5pp vs 2023 | PIF AUM: $941.3B ▲ +$345B vs 2022 | Inbound FDI: $21.3B ▼ -6.4% vs 2023 | Female Participation: 33% ▲ -1.1pp vs 2023 | Credit Rating: Aa3/A+ ▲ Moody's / Fitch | GDP Growth: 2.0% ▲ +1.5pp vs 2023 | Umrah Pilgrims: 16.92M ▲ vs 11.3M target | Non-Oil GDP Share: 76% ▲ -7.7pp vs 2020 | Saudi Unemployment: 3.5% ▲ -0.5pp vs 2023 | PIF AUM: $941.3B ▲ +$345B vs 2022 | Inbound FDI: $21.3B ▼ -6.4% vs 2023 | Female Participation: 33% ▲ -1.1pp vs 2023 | Credit Rating: Aa3/A+ ▲ Moody's / Fitch | GDP Growth: 2.0% ▲ +1.5pp vs 2023 | Umrah Pilgrims: 16.92M ▲ vs 11.3M target |

Microsoft

Year of the Machine: Inside Saudi Arabia's $9.1 Billion Bet on Artificial Intelligence

Saudi Arabia has designated 2026 as the Year of AI. Behind the branding lies a ruthlessly ambitious infrastructure play — $9.1 billion in funding, the world's largest government data center, and a strategic pivot converting NEOM into a hyperscale computing zone.

Mar 12, 2026