ServiceNow at LEAP 2024 announced its commitment to invest in innovation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including two dedicated in-country data centres to support the company’s next-generation cloud platform. As ServiceNow grows its existing presence within KSA to meet customer and partner demand across the Kingdom, the company announced plans to invest $500 million to support regional business and government transformation, job creation, and digital skills development. In addition, ServiceNow announced new partnerships with The Garage and Saudi Digital Academy, plus plans for a new ServiceNow Regional Headquarters for MENA in Riyadh.
“These investments are key to enable future growth in the industry and to enable the broader transformation of the Kingdom’s economy. We welcome the role of leading private sector investors in enabling Saudi Arabia to thrive in the global technological transition. Today’s agreement by ServiceNow to increase investment and set up an RHQ in the Kingdom is testament to Saudi Arabia’s success in developing world-class ICT infrastructure and to the value of cross-government cooperation between MISA, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and others,” said His Excellency Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia.
“We are thrilled to have ServiceNow, a recognised leader in enterprise cloud software, as a valued innovation partner to the Kingdom,” said H.E.: Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia.
“ServiceNow applauds the Kingdom’s vision to transform the Saudi economy through technology innovation in a region with unmatched potential,” says Bill McDermott, ServiceNow chairman and CEO. “Our partnership will offer Saudi businesses an AI-first platform for digital business and deliver next-generation experiences for Saudi citizens and technology talent.”
The new data centre pair, to be launched by ServiceNow in the Kingdom, will meet the country’s data residency and high-speed latency standards, while adhering to ServiceNow’s Data Privacy Framework Policy for the protection of customer privacy. The ServiceNow platform for end-to-end business transformation will offer businesses operating in Saudi Arabia real-time business intelligence for decision-making and heightened resilience in fast-changing markets.
“It is fantastic to see the excitement and rapid adoption from valued ServiceNow customers and partners across the region in furtherance of the Saudi Vision 2030,” says Saif Mashat, general manager, ServiceNow Arabia Ltd. “Our growing team in Riyadh are thrilled about the opportunity for our ServiceNow ecosystem to bring strategic business transformation with and for our KSA customers.”
The Now Platform, now in Arabic
To meet growing customer and partner needs in the region, ServiceNow will bring the Now Platform to market in Arabic as part of its Washington, D.C. product release later this month. Now, companies in all regions will be able to support Arabic end users out-of-the-box, including a full mobile experience – from enhanced customer and employee experiences to IT support and risk management. ServiceNow also shared plans to make domain-specific large language models (LLMs) available in Arabic to enhance the efficiency and intuitive nature of responses to generative AI requests in the future.
“International business requires an international mindset and the tools to streamline operations, particularly when led from regions as diverse as Europe, Middle East, and Africa,” says Cathy Mauzaize, EMEA president, ServiceNow. “We are excited to offer the power of the ServiceNow platform to our Middle Eastern ecosystem of partners and customers in their native Arabic language.”
Investing in future talent
In support of increasing digital advances across the Kingdom, The Garage, a new startup district that focuses on local and international startups in Riyadh, intends to run on the ServiceNow platform to become a Serviced Accelerator Enabler to support the 300 startups they serve each year as part of the Saudi tech expansion.
In addition, The Garage and ServiceNow will offer a Post-Accelerator Graduate Programme to top startup graduates each year, complete with access to the ServiceNow platform and tools, as well as training and mentorship. ServiceNow Ventures will also explore the highest potential game-changing ideas from The Garage as potential investment candidates to bring greater value to the ServiceNow platform, our broader ecosystem, and the Kingdom as a whole.
“The Garage, a leading innovation startup campus for the most promising startups of the Kingdom and the region, is thrilled to be partnering with a leading global innovator such as ServiceNow to create a blueprint for startup ecosystems around the world to shape the incubation/acceleration experience and inspire the cutting-edge companies who are within our campus,” says Omar Al-Shabaan, chief executive officer, The Garage.
ServiceNow and Saudi Digital Academy also intend to launch ServiceNow Academy – the first of its kind in the region to train thousands of Saudis. This new and customised programme will build on ServiceNow’s previous commitments to training Saudi women as part of RiseUp with ServiceNow, a global skilling initiative to train one million people on the Now Platform.
“This partnership with ServiceNow is a crucial step in empowering Saudi youth and equipping them with the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy. We are excited to work together to create a brighter future for Saudi Arabia,” says Mohammed AlSuhaim, chief executive officer, Saudi Digital Academy.
Partnering in the path to Vision 2030: ServiceNow in KSA
Today’s announcements build on ServiceNow’s growing business in the Kingdom, with strong government support by the Ministry of Investment (MISA) and HE al-Falih. Since starting business in the Kingdom in 2011, ServiceNow has experienced continuous growth with a wide range of major partners and customers, such as the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. The company’s investments in the region will play a role in facilitating KSA’s strategic objectives and achieving its ambitious goals as part of Saudi Vision 2030.
ServiceNow’s cloud solution will support digitizing the delivery of world-class healthcare and education services, increasing economic potential through AI and digitizing processes, and imparting global best-in-class digital skills to the workforce.
