How does Lenovo ISG’s strategies align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030?
Giovanni Di Filippo (GDF): Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is ambitious and exciting. The Kingdom has prioritised infrastructure investments, securing major events such as the Expo, World Cup, and Asian Games. Hosting these mega-events requires strong technological foundations, and Lenovo is well-positioned to support this transformation.
As a market leader we are investing in a 200,000-square-meter manufacturing site in Saudi Arabia. This initiative will contribute significantly to the country’s non-oil GDP growth, estimated at $10 billion.
Alaa Bawab (AB): From a technological standpoint, Saudi Arabia aims to become the largest AI hub in the region. Achieving this requires compute power—a critical factor in AI development. Lenovo is the world’s number one high-performance computing (HPC) provider, holding 31 percent market share in the Top 500 supercomputing rankings. This expertise makes us a strategic partner in helping the Kingdom realise its AI ambitions.
How does Lenovo’s partnership with Alat position Saudi Arabia as a global AI hub?
GDF: Alat has invested $2 billion in this initiative, and now that all approvals are complete, the real work begins. The majority of this investment will go into manufacturing, but it also extends to establishing an organic R&D organisation and a Customer Experience Center.
We want to ensure that Saudi Arabia’s investments benefit the broader region, including GCC markets and Africa. This region holds significant growth potential, and our leadership team is continuously evaluating expansion strategies.
Additionally, we are developing a partner ecosystem to foster collaboration between local and international players. This ecosystem will accelerate innovation, scale AI infrastructure, and enhance knowledge transfer across the Kingdom.
AB: Beyond infrastructure, this partnership is a major economic driver. Lenovo’s investment will generate 15,000 direct jobs and 45,000 indirect jobs. This is a major step in our commitment to embedding ourselves in the Kingdom’s digital transformation journey and ensuring that Saudi Arabia benefits from our expertise.
How do you see Lenovo’s role evolving in Saudi Arabia over the next few years?
GDF: Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation needs localised solutions. This investment isn’t just about expanding operations—it’s about designing, producing, and manufacturing technology solutions specifically for the Kingdom.
We are also prioritising talent development. Together with Alat, we have structured programs to cultivate a skilled workforce that can sustain and scale digital transformation efforts within Saudi Arabia.
AB: Lenovo has been on a journey to ‘localise the multinational.’ Even before our collaboration with Alat, we focused on establishing a local presence in Saudi Arabia.
A prime example is our partnership with Saudi-based startups like Novo Genomics, which utilises AI for genome analysis in healthcare. Another key collaboration is with Nybl Global, which specialises in smart city and industrial projects. These companies started locally, but we have integrated them into our global partner ecosystem, helping them scale regionally and internationally.
What is Lenovo’s broader vision for the Middle East?
GDF: We aim to contribute to both society and our business. Our goal is to grow revenue and profit while also giving back to the communities we operate in.
We believe in ‘Smarter AI for All.’ This means democratising AI-driven solutions, ensuring accessibility for businesses of all sizes—from large enterprises to SMEs and public sector institutions. Among our key focus areas are sectors such as healthcare and education, where AI can drive significant innovation and impact.
Saudi Arabia’s transformation is generating excitement across the Middle East. Countries in the region see the value in our new manufacturing facility, which will enhance supply chains, improve security, and offer better warranty and service delivery.
AB: The enthusiasm surrounding our Saudi initiative has extended beyond the Kingdom. Other markets are eager to align with this transformation.
Saudi Arabia is not just localising multinational companies—it is also globalising its own technology advancements. Our role is to help extend these innovations across the Middle East and Africa, reinforcing the Kingdom’s leadership in AI and digital infrastructure.
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