Building Saudi Arabia’s Future Digital Workforce

Saudi Arabia's ambitions in AI and Digital Infrastructure require a new generation of highly skilled national talent. This special LEAP26 session celebrates two pioneering, industry-led programs designed to help build that future workforce. The first 27 Saudi men and women will graduate from DataVolt's Digital Infrastructure program in partnership with the Energy & Water Academy (EWA) – a pathway specifically designed to develop Data Centre Technicians from school leavers through to employment. Their development will continue through a further year of on-the-job experience and internationally recognised certification with Uptime Institute. The session will also showcase the Kingdom's first industry-integrated AI Diploma, developed through the DataVolt, EWA and Innovatics consortium. The program brings together 96 high-calibre Saudi bachelor's graduates, supported through government funding and sponsorship from 11 leading Saudi companies. This unique model combines specialist academic learning and international certification with real industry AI challenges to develop the Kingdom's next generation of AI professionals. Together, these programs demonstrate how government, industry and academia can collaborate to create employment-focused Saudi talent pipelines in critical future skills – providing a proven blueprint for developing AI and Digital Infrastructure capability at greater scale.