Oracle has launched a second cloud region in Saudi Arabia.
The move is part of Oracle's planned $1.5 billion investment in the Kingdom, and is the company's fifth cloud region in the Middle East.
Located in Riyadh, the public cloud region is hosted in a Center3 data center and will give organizations access to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services, including data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Oracle first shared plans for the Riyadh region in February 2023, confirming that it would partner with Center3 later that year.
It is hoped the new region will support Saudi Arabia's AI economy, which is currently slated to reach $132.2 billion by 2030, according to PWC.
Oracle's first cloud region in the Kingdom is located in Jeddah and was launched in 2020. The company has been planning a third in the upcoming Neom City since October 2021.
“The opening of Oracle’s new cloud region in Riyadh reflects the Kingdom’s continuous efforts in boosting the digital economy based on modern technologies and innovation,” said Haytham Alohali, vice minister, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
“This step will significantly enable international and local companies to achieve innovation and promote the adoption of AI and cloud computing technologies in various sectors, which enhances Saudi Arabia's competitiveness at the regional and international level.”
Richard Smith, EVP and GM of EMEA Cloud Infrastructure at Oracle, added: “With the rapid expansion of our cloud footprint in Saudi Arabia, Oracle is committed to helping the country achieve its goal of developing one of the strongest digital economies in the world."
In December 2023, Oracle founder and CTO Larry Ellison announced that the company was in the process of expanding 66 of its existing cloud data centers and building 100 new ones. The company has since announced several major investments in expanding its cloud footprint - including $8 billion in Japan and $1 billion in Spain.
Center3 is a Saudi Telecom subsidiary. It recently expanded its Khurais Riyadh facility with an additional 9.6MW of capacity. Center3 operates multiple data centers in and around the city.
