stc group Concludes LEAP 2026 Participation with Strategic Partnerships to Accelerate Saudi Arabia’s Digital Future

STC group, Saudi Arabia's leading digital enabler, concluded another successful year at LEAP 2026, marking its fifth consecutive participation as strategic partner of the world's leading technology gathering with the signing of a series of strategic partnerships and announcements.

Olayan Alwetaid, GCEO of stc group, took to LEAP’s Main Stage to discuss Saudi Arabia’s accelerating AI ambitions and stc group’s role in enabling the ecosystem behind them. He said: “Saudi Arabia is moving rapidly to capture the opportunities presented by AI. For stc group, our partnership with HUMAIN is focused on three fronts: data-center infrastructure, connectivity, and go-to-market. Through center3, we are developing AI-ready data-center capacity starting at 250 megawatts, while continuing to expand our global connectivity footprint across subsea cables, terrestrial networks, and satellites to connect the Kingdom’s AI infrastructure with the world.”

Across the four-day event, stc group showcased a broad portfolio of innovative digital solutions spanning transportation and logistics, tourism, sports, construction, and real estate. The group’s stand drew strong engagement from visitors, offering a closer look at how stc group and its subsidiaries are bringing together advanced technologies and digital capabilities to improve efficiency, transform operations, and accelerate digital adoption across critical sectors.

stc continued to leverage LEAP as a defining platform to deepen collaboration with regional and global partners, with the group and its subsidiaries signing a broad range of agreements spanning AI, data centers, advanced 5G connectivity, cloud, and sectoral digital solutions. Key announcements include:

AWS: Broadened cooperation across cloud technologies, digital services, security, and skills development to accelerate cloud adoption across Saudi Arabia, combining AWS cloud infrastructure with stc's local market expertise to serve government, enterprise, and small business customers across key sectors.

AMD: Collaboration to advance digital infrastructure and next-generation digital services, combining AMD's high-performance computing with stc's cloud and connectivity ecosystem to enable advanced compute services, AI inference, analytics, and scalable infrastructure.

Ericsson: A multi-year agreement to expand stc's 5G network across Saudi Arabia, including the world's first commercial deployment of the Ericsson Radio 4496, integrating stc's newly acquired 600 MHz spectrum to extend coverage, improve indoor connectivity, and reduce power consumption.

Huawei: Collaborative unveiling of a Zero-Carbon 5G-Advanced (5G-A) site solution, enabling network sites to support greater capacity while consuming less energy and reducing the physical load on infrastructure.

Cisco: A multi-year collaboration to transition stc's network operations toward L4 Autonomous Network standards, implementing AI-driven closed-loop automation workflows that enable the network to self-configure, self-heal, and self-optimize in real time using Splunk-powered analytics.

Intel: An MoU to explore AI technologies enabling smarter digital experiences across Saudi Arabia, covering AI PCs, Edge AI, hybrid AI, and next-generation data-center infrastructure, with a shared focus on advancing AI skills and unlocking practical value for businesses.

EZDITEK: An agreement to provide stc’s DCI services across EZDITEK's data centers in Saudi Arabia, facilitating the growing connectivity demands of hyperscalers and AI players.

Datavolt: A partnership to strengthen DataVolt's carrier-neutral connectivity ecosystem across Saudi Arabia, enhancing network diversity and resilient connectivity for data center customers.

SRMG: An MoU to enhance Saudi Arabia's media production capabilities, spanning next-generation production centers, secure cloud platforms for post-production workflows, emerging technologies including virtual production and augmented reality, and AI solutions across the full content lifecycle.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority: A cooperation agreement to develop and implement innovative solutions for reserve monitoring, building on a successful proof of concept involving AI-powered cameras and solar-powered tower infrastructure.

Mahd Academy: An agreement to explore collaboration on smart digital solutions supporting sports talent discovery in Saudi Arabia, leveraging AI and data analytics to assess physical, skill, and behavioral abilities and connect athletes with the most suitable sports pathways.

Salla, noon, SMSA: qitaf, stc's loyalty program, partnered with Salla, noon, and SMSA to expand its presence across Saudi Arabia's e-commerce and logistics ecosystem, enabling customers to earn and redeem points across all three platforms.

Albawani: A partnership to enable smarter construction driven by data and enabled by AI, improving efficiency, safety, and operation cost.

Beyond partnerships, stc showcased advanced digital solutions supporting Saudi Arabia's critical sectors, highlighted by an intelligent destination management system for Red Sea Global developed by its subsidiary iot squared. The system combines a live 3D digital twin spanning Shura Island and Turtle Bay with the Nucleus smart operations platform, giving teams a unified real-time view across guest experience, mobility, environment, and marine conditions and enabling operators to simulate scenarios, respond to incidents, and optimize the entire destination experience.

stc's participation at LEAP 2026 underscores its role as the backbone of Saudi Arabia's digital transformation, connecting infrastructure, innovation, and industry to turn the Kingdom's ambitions into reality.