LEAP 2026: HPE advances ‘Saudi Made’ strategy with expanded portfolio and new initiatives

HPE  has announced a series of new investments and initiatives at LEAP 2026 that further expand its contribution to Saudi Arabia’s technology ecosystem. Key announcements include the launch of ‘Saudi Made, Developed, Deployed’ program, the expansion of HPE’s locally produced technology portfolio, and plans to establish a Saudi Innovation Center at HPE’s new offices in Riyadh. Together, these initiatives are strengthening local technology production, developing skills and creating new opportunities for Saudi technology companies, supporting Saudi Vision 2030.

“The investments we are announcing at LEAP represent the next phase of HPE’s long-term commitment to Saudi Arabia,” said Mohammad Alrehaili, Vice President and Managing Director, Middle East, HPE. “By expanding our local infrastructure production and connecting it with Saudi-developed technology, skills and integration and support service capabilities, we are helping customers accelerate innovation while strengthening the Kingdom’s end-to-end technology ecosystem.”

Announced on the main stage at LEAP 2026, ‘Saudi Made, Developed, Deployed’ is a new initiative from HPE, Intel and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology designed to accelerate the development, validation and commercialization of AI and digital transformation solutions in Saudi Arabia. The initiative will connect ’Saudi Made’ infrastructure with Saudi-developed applications and intellectual property, as well as implementation and support delivered by Saudi-based organizations, to create market-ready solutions and blueprints for priority industries.

“A competitive digital economy depends on local capability, skilled talent and an ecosystem that can turn ideas into solutions with measurable impact,” said Nasser Al Nasser, Technology Deputy Minster, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. “The ’Saudi Made, Developed, Deployed’ program will bring together technology leaders, Saudi innovators and local delivery expertise to strengthen the Kingdom’s AI ecosystem and support its continued economic diversification.”

Through the initiative, Saudi companies will receive access to Saudi-made infrastructure platforms, hybrid cloud capabilities and engineering expertise provided by HPE, as well as the compute and AI technologies, architecture guidance, model optimization and developer enablement contributed by Intel. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology will support engagements across the Saudi technology ecosystem and alignment with the Kingdom’s digital transformation and AI ambitions. Founding software partners will include ShaheenAI, MOZN and OmniOps, contributing locally developed AI platforms and capabilities. Alnahil Computers will serve as the lead systems integration and deployment partner, supporting the packaging of certified solutions, project delivery, customer onboarding and ongoing operational support.

HPE is expanding its locally produced ‘Saudi Made’ technology portfolio to include HPE Alletra Storage MP B10000 and HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000, giving customers in the region a broader foundation for modernizing mission-critical applications, managing growing volumes of data and accelerating AI initiatives. Together, the platforms provide resilient block, file and object storage, the flexibility to scale performance and capacity independently as requirements evolve, and a unified cloud-based management experience through GreenLake. They will help organizations simplify storage operations, support data-intensive workloads and make enterprise data more readily available for AI and analytics, while benefiting from locally produced technology infrastructure.

Furthermore, HPE and alfanar have introduced enhancements to the in-country server production and enablement offering, helping customers deploy customized infrastructure solutions across the Middle East. The expanded relationship formalizes alfanar’s role as HPE’s manufacturing and assembly partner in Saudi Arabia, supporting the production, testing and fulfilment of the broader HPE ‘Saudi Made’ solutions portfolio. Through the new factory services, customers now have the option to have their locally built HPE infrastructure systems pre-integrated, pre-configured and pre-tested. The offering includes component integration, system configuration, testing, certification, quality assurance, logistics coordination, local fulfilment and lifecycle service readiness, helping customers reduce deployment complexity and move more quickly from infrastructure procurement to operational use.

“The expansion of the ‘Saudi Made’ portfolio marks an important step in the development of Saudi Arabia’s advanced technology production capabilities,” said Abdullah Al Sulami, General Manager Power Solutions, alfanar. “Through our partnership with HPE, we are moving beyond local assembly to provide integrated, tested and application-ready systems that can help customers deploy technology more efficiently, while strengthening local expertise and supply chain resilience.”

HPE and Intel also announced plans to establish a Saudi Innovation Center at HPE’s new offices in Riyadh. The Center will provide a dedicated environment in which customers, solution providers, startup innovators and ecosystem partners can collaborate, test solutions, conduct technical validation and demonstrate Saudi-developed technologies. It will connect Saudi-made infrastructure with locally developed platforms, software and implementation expertise, while supporting AI talent through technical training and developer enablement. The ‘Saudi Made, Developed, Deployed’ solutions will be among the outputs supported by the Center, with the broader objective of helping organizations validate practical business outcomes and move new ideas towards deployment and commercialization.

“Saudi Arabia’s ambition to build a globally competitive, innovation-led digital economy is creating important opportunities to develop AI solutions closer to the customers and industries they serve,” said Taha M. Khalifa, General Manager for Middle East and Africa, Intel Corporation. “Through our collaboration with HPE, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Saudi ecosystem partners, Intel will contribute AI and compute technologies, technical expertise and developer enablement to help turn locally developed ideas into validated, deployable solutions. The Saudi Innovation Center and the ‘Saudi Made, Developed, Deployed’ initiative can help connect local talent, software innovation and infrastructure to accelerate practical AI adoption in support of Vision 2030.”