Nokia’s Riyadh center will position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for intelligent network technology innovation, fostering local R&D, AI and software talent, and a Made in Saudi ecosystem.

The project supports Vision 2030 by developing local AI and software expertise, creating high-value engineering roles, and offering training and certification programs for Saudi professionals.

It aims to advance AI-driven capabilities for telecom operators and enterprises, exploring AI-native 6G and producing exportable software labeled Made in Saudi.

Experience from the Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA demonstrates end-to-end AI deployment, from data and security to governance and scalable enterprise infrastructure.

The initiative is contextualized with company metrics and market references, including stock analysis pages for context.

Executive commentary will feature leaders such as Hani Nofal of NTT DATA, Cassie Roach of Cisco, and Dirk Barfuss of NVIDIA.

Executives from the Middle East and Africa are urged to move from AI exploration to production within a secure sandbox to test and prove strategies before wide-scale rollout.

The lab is scheduled to open in September 2026 and will offer executive briefings, AI strategy workshops, and hands-on experiences to identify high-impact use cases and validate outcomes.

Government support is underscored by statements from the Minister of Communications and Information Technology and the Deputy Minister for Telecom and Digital Infrastructure.

NTT DATA’s global AI strategy underpins the initiative, emphasizing responsible, secure AI adoption through consulting, infrastructure, technology services, and industry solutions.

Interactive demonstrations will cover productivity, customer experience, intelligent operations, cybersecurity, networking, software development, and industry-specific processes, including agentic AI workflows.

Nokia positions itself as a leader in AI-native, secure-by-design network infrastructure, enabling scalable AI applications across fixed, mobile, IP, optical, core, and data center networks.