During LEAP 2026, Aramco and Aramco Digital, an Aramco Group company, announced a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements with leading technology companies.

The MoUs and agreements focus on cybersecurity, industrial AI and innovation, localising critical technologies, and building national industrial capabilities.

Attending the opening of LEAP 2026, Amin Nasser, Aramco President & CEO, said: “I was delighted to join LEAP 2026 and witness Saudi Arabia’s remarkable progress in developing its digital infrastructure, communications, and information technology. LEAP 2026 is an important platform to explore what comes next; it brings together the ideas, talent, and partnerships that can accelerate technological progress.

“The energy industry stands to be one of the beneficiaries of AI, particularly industrial AI. We are already putting AI to work across our business, from our corporate functions to the heart of our industrial operations, and we believe there is much more to come. Our advantage lies in bringing together deep industrial and engineering expertise with data science and AI capabilities to solve real-world challenges and create new opportunities.

“Just as Aramco’s energy has helped power the world’s economic opportunities over the last 90 years, we hope its energy will also support Saudi Arabia to be a leading player in AI and digital solutions. We believe we have the expertise, infrastructure, partnerships, and a supportive regulatory environment.”

In his keynote speech, Ahmad Al Khowaiter, Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation, outlined the company’s strategic framework for industrial AI centered on the three core pillars of intelligence, trust, and scale, stating: “We are using [AI] to enhance exploration, optimise production, improve reliability, accelerate engineering, strengthen maintenance, and even keep our people safe… Aramco is aiming to build the foundations needed to succeed in this area: secure cloud environments, resilient connectivity, digital ethics, and AI-enabled monitoring… AI is not replacing our industrial knowledge – it is amplifying it... We know leadership in industrial AI will not be built by one company alone. It requires partnerships, entrepreneurs, and the ability to move technology from ideation to implementation… [We are] turning data into intelligence, intelligence into trusted systems, and trusted systems into scalable value.”

LEAP, a global technology event, is taking place from August 31 to September 3 in Riyadh.

The summit provides critical insight into how current innovations are reshaping the global landscape. -TradeArabia News Service