Saudi Arabia aims to export data instead of oil: Al-Jadaan

Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Minister of Finance

Saudi Minister of Finance, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, said that data centers in Saudi Arabia will be treated like embassies, adding that the Kingdom aims to export data instead of oil.

During a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Al-Jadaan explained that concerns among Europeans and Americans regarding relocating data centers to other countries are primarily tied to sovereign data protection. He noted that Saudi Arabia is currently working on a regulatory framework to address this issue, aiming to make data centers fully protected like embassies.

He also highlighted Saudi Arabia's effort to leverage its competitive advantages, adding that the Kingdom would not need to export energy to other countries. Instead, they could use it in the Kingdom to be able to export their data later on.