- New SAP survey shows 70% of Saudi enterprises view AI as very important to future strategy, with majority expecting significant returns on AI investments within two years
By : Islam Tawfik
SAP will host its annual SAP NOW AI Tour at The Arena Riyadh on November 3, bringing together business leaders, technology experts, and public sector stakeholders to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can accelerate Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation.
As the Kingdom advances its Vision 2030 agenda and National Strategy for Data & AI, the event will focus on practical pathways for organizations to harness AI to drive competitiveness, growth, and scalability.
A new YouGov survey of senior IT decision-makers commissioned by SAP reveals strong confidence in the Kingdom’s AI outlook. Seventy percent of Saudi enterprises said AI is very important to shaping their future strategy, while nearly all (97%) expressed confidence in using AI-driven insights for critical business decisions. More than half (51%) expect significant returns from AI investments within the next one to two years, and 81% are already deploying industry-specific AI solutions.
“AI is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of business strategy in Saudi Arabia, with organizations showing remarkable confidence in its potential,” said Mohammed Alromaizan, Vice President of SAP Saudi Arabia. “SAP NOW Riyadh will highlight how enterprises can translate this momentum into measurable outcomes, from greater customer satisfaction and revenue growth to more resilient supply chains and enhanced decision-making, in full alignment with the Kingdom’s long-term ambitions.”
The event follows fast on the heels of SAP’s announcement that Saudi Arabia will become the first country to host the full SAP Business Network for the public sector, ensuring data stays in-country while connecting government buyers with global suppliers. The platform, which facilitates more than USD 6.1 trillion in trade each year, is hosted on Google Cloud and will be extended to the private sector in early 2026.
Around 1,000 business executives are expected to attend the SAP NOW AI Tour, which has Google as the Platinum sponsor. The agenda will span multiple sectors, with highlights including how AI can support sustainability, manufacturing, human resources, and procurement. Customers will showcase their success stories, while SAP experts including Augusta Spinelli, Regional President for Europe, Middle East and Africa; Ahmed AlFaifi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Middle East and Africa (North); and Jesper Schleimann, Head of Business AI, EMEA at SAP, will provide broad Saudi and regional perspectives on the evolution of business AI, including the emergence of agentic AI — a capability that enables autonomous decision-making and task execution to boost business agility.
SAP will also demonstrate its collaboration with Databricks through the SAP Business Data Cloud, showing how Saudi organizations can unlock the value of structured and unstructured data to refine predictive analytics and make better business decisions. Despite rapid growth in enterprise data volumes, industry experts say up to 90% of business data globally remains unstructured and underutilized, underscoring the need for robust AI-driven strategies.
Gold sponsors of SAP NOW include Ejada Systems Company, AWS, PwC, Arabian Internet and Communications Services Company (Solutions by stc) and Deloitte.
•The SAP NOW AI Tour Riyadh is a full-day event taking place at The Arena, Riyadh on November 3, 2025. For more information or to register, visit the SAP MENA website.
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