BETH – Geneva | July 2025

As part of its participation in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held in Geneva, Switzerland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia showcased its experience in achieving global digital leadership. The Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the summit’s objectives and strengthening the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in building inclusive and sustainable digital societies.

His Excellency Eng. Haitham bin Abdulrahman Al-Ohali, Vice Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Acting Governor of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission, participated in the summit and presented Saudi Arabia’s advancements in alignment with the ITU’s strategic goals. He highlighted the Kingdom’s rise to first place globally in the ITU’s ICT Development Index for 2025.

Al-Ohali emphasized that this global ranking reflects a sustainable development journey within the ICT sector. He also noted Saudi Arabia’s 6th place globally in the United Nations E-Government Development Index for 2024, affirming the Kingdom’s transformation into a digital government leader.

💡 Key Figures & Indicators:

💰 $132 billion: Saudi Arabia’s digital economy size in 2024, representing 15% of its GDP.
👩‍💻 381,000 tech professionals in the Kingdom, growing 8.8% from 2023.
💾 Over $25 billion invested since 2018 in digital infrastructure development.

During a session titled “Building a Balanced and Innovation-Driven AI Regulatory Framework”, Al-Ohali stressed that Saudi Arabia believes in putting humans at the center of AI systems, alongside investment in infrastructure and standards. He announced major strategic partnerships with global tech leaders including AMD, AWS, Qualcomm, and NVIDIA, with the launch of a 500 MW data center, and the founding of “HUMYN”, a regional and global AI company backed by robust cloud and digital infrastructure.

🧠 BETH Analysis | Beyond Participation:

WSIS is not merely a digital forum—it’s a symbolic platform affirming that Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation is no longer a future vision, but a current exportable reality.

🔹 From infrastructure to intelligence
🔹 From indexes to influence
🔹 From consumption to global leadership
Today, Saudi Arabia is not just keeping pace with digital evolution—it is redefining it.