Zoom is set to power AI innovation in Saudi Arabia with a $75 million investment.
Announced at this week’s LEAP technology conference in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh, the investment’s strategic focus is boosting infrastructure for AI innovation, such as data centres.
This week, Zoom published a blog affirming its plans to invest further in the region:
Focusing on driving digital transformation and innovation, Zoom is highlighting its expanding presence and investment in Saudi Arabia. This underscores its pivotal role in supporting the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030 objectives. Over the next three years, Zoom expects to invest significantly in the Kingdom.”
In 2023, Zoom set up a regional data centre in Saudi Arabia, receiving authorisation to serve critical national infrastructure (CNI) organisations. The company partnered with local firms to establish a co-located data centre to accommodate its growing customer base. This new facility is designed to enhance service reliability and compliance, with the required licenses currently pending approval.
“Being among the first UCaaS providers to host an AI solution specifically for the region demonstrates not only Zoom’s speed of innovation but also our dedication to advancing the Kingdom’s vision,” added Mohannad AlKalash, Zoom’s Managing Director in the METAP region. “In the near future, our customers in the Kingdom will be able to seamlessly integrate powerful AI Companion capabilities such as Meeting Summary into their workflows — all while supporting compliance with local regulations.”
Zoom’s Saudi Arabia data centre provides customers access to local infrastructure while ensuring compliance with the country’s data residency requirements. This strategic investment is pitched to strengthen Zoom’s ability to serve businesses and government entities more effectively. Beyond infrastructure, Zoom outlines that it’s expanding its focus on talent development and innovative solutions, reinforcing its commitment to the region.
“Zoom has announced a $75 million investment in Saudi Arabia to promote AI and innovation by establishing new data centres that will support local tech companies, government entities, and regional digital acceleration,” the Saudi Ministry of Communications commented.
Zoom Using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure To Power AI Companion In Saudi Arabia
Also at LEAP this week, Zoom and Oracle announced a partnership entailing Zoom leveraging the latter’s cloud infrastructure to power its AI-first platform in Saudi Arabia, precisely its flagship AI Companion 2.0 solution.
Both businesses outline that Oracle’s Cloud Infrastructure supports Zoom in maintaining in-region customer data while enabling the delivery of AI-first solutions. These advancements aim to empower users with AI-driven personal assistants that help streamline workflows by prioritising tasks, providing context-aware responses, and enhancing meeting preparation, execution, and follow-up.
To ensure compliance with Saudi Arabian regulations while maintaining high performance, Zoom has optimised its AI models to run on efficient OCI GPU shapes.
The introduction of AI Companion in Saudi Arabia builds on Zoom’s successful market presence in the region. It reinforces its commitment to supporting the Kingdom’s digital transformation goals outlined in Vision 2030.
“Saudi Arabia is a key market for Zoom, and we continue to invest in Zoom Workplace and AI Companion to provide solutions that meet the unique needs of businesses here,” said Velchamy Sankarlingam, President of Product and Engineering at Zoom. “By optimising AI Companion to operate efficiently with GPU shapes in a local OCI region, we’re enabling Saudi companies to take full advantage of AI without facing constraints.”
Zoom Bolsters Workplace For Clinicians Plans, Invests In Suki’s Healthcare AI
Zoom’s investment arm, Zoom Ventures, has made a strategic investment in Suki, a healthcare AI company, advancing its vision of creating a dedicated Workplace for Clinicians.
This investment builds on the partnership between Zoom and Suki, which was first announced in October. The partnership integrates AI-driven clinical documentation into Zoom’s Workplace for Clinicians, aiming to enhance efficiency, streamline workflows, and improve patient care.
Suki now joins Zoom Ventures’ expanding AI portfolio, which includes companies such as Anthropic and CoreWeave. With its recent $70 million Series D funding round in October, Suki has raised a total of $168 million to date.
