2024 has been a milestone year for Dell Technologies in Saudi Arabia. The company recently celebrated its 20th anniversary in the Kingdom. It also secured a regional headquarters license to operate in the Kingdom and announced plans to expand operations with a new merge and fulfillment centre in Riyadh. But for Dell, this journey has only begun. We spoke to Mohammed Amin, Sr. Vice President – CEEMETA, during the company’s annual Dell Technologies Forum, who shared more insights on AI, talent upskilling and how the company is helping its Saudi customers turn their business goals into meaningful outcomes. Q1. With the rise in AI adoption in Saudi Arabia, how is Dell addressing this demand through the solutions you’re bringing to market? AI transformation represents a significant paradigm shift and is poised to impact nearly every facet of our lives. In Saudi Arabia, AI adoption is thriving in sectors like healthcare, finance, retail, and the public sector domain by enhancing efficiency, automating processes, and fostering innovation for economic growth and diversification. According to Dell’s Innovation Catalyst study, 91% of organizations in Saudi Arabia have a clear AI strategy in place and are well-positioned competitively to embrace innovation through AI. However, almost eight in 10 (78%) report talent, cybersecurity, and lack of budget to be among the top challenges they face in driving innovation. There is no doubt that AI is key to unlocking value within data and it is fast becoming one of the most important tools for businesses of all sizes. According to PWC, AI’s potential impact on the Saudi economy is immense, with the technology expected to contribute to over US$135.2 billion in 2030, equivalent to 12.4% of the nation’s GDP. Currently, Dell provides customers with AI solutions and expertise that define their paths to the future. We help customers run AI workloads anywhere they need them and scale AI from proof of concept to production. As the market demand for AI enabled solutions continues to climb, we continue to capitalize on opportunities within four areas: AI-In which is ensuring AI is built into our products, AI-On which is offering solutions that customers can run their AI workloads on, AI-For which is how we use AI to modernize our business and AI-With which is how we work with our ecosystems of partners to make AI real. Over the last year, Dell has deployed several initiatives across various industries showcasing the utilization of AI for the betterment of business and society. This also includes working with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) to enhance the skills of young talent, in line with the Kingdom"s Vision 2030 objectives. Q2. Talk to us about Dell’s operation in Saudi Arabia? 2024 marks a significant milestone for Dell’s operations in Saudi Arabia, as we celebrate 20 years of operations in the Kingdom. Supporting our customers with their digital transformation agenda has always been our key priority. This commitment has allowed us to operate and contribute to our customer’s success in Saudi Arabia for the last two decades. As the nation charts its ambitious growth and diversification strategies, Dell is committed to helping the country develop a thriving, AI powered innovation economy. The impact of our contribution to the success of local businesses is reflected in IDCs CY24Q2 report where we lead in share inStorage (49.4% share), Server (45.1% share) and amongst the top three vendors in CSG. Building on this success, earlier this year, we announced our plans to expand our operations in Saudi Arabia with a new merge and logistics fulfillment centre in Riyadh. This strategic investment commemorates Dell’s position in securing a regional headquarters license to operate in KSA and reinforces the company’s commitment to Saudi Vision 2030. The new centre, which includes a second touch manufacturing facility, will handle all Dell product lines in KSA, including notebooks, desktops, servers, storage and networking. This in turn will help manage the growing demand for Dell’s end-to-end consumer and enterprise solutions, create additional services and offerings, reduce lead times, and enhance customer satisfaction. Additionally, Dell is moving its Flat Panel Monitor Hub to Riyadh with inventory stocked and delivered directly to customers with same day or next day shipments. The Saudi facility is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2024. It is the first in the META region and Dell’s third in the EMEA region. It will play a pivotal role in accelerating the growth of the ICT sector in Saudi Arabia, by creating new jobs, training local talent and fostering a culture of innovation. Q3. How is Dell contributing to developing the local talent pool in the Kingdom? Investing in local talent is a key priority and we support the Saudi government’s initiatives in training Saudi Nationals and equipping them with the skills they need to join the future workforce. Through our Academic Alliance Program, we collaborate with over 15 universities to offer curriculum led IT training. We also have our local graduate hiring program, where we train and hire new graduates every year. Last year, Dell signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) to train professionals in the fields of cloud computing as part of its work towards digital empowerment of government agencies to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom"s Vision 2030. We also have the NextGen Sales Academy Program, where we hire junior professionals and enroll them into a two-year program on the job to build the next generation of Dell sales leaders. Then, earlier this year, Dell, Aramco, and the National IT Academy signed an agreement to empower Saudi Arabia’s local talent with advanced science and technology skills. The agreement covers training programs and certifications to develop a skilled and readily employable technology talent pool in the Kingdom. As a company firmly focused on the future, we’re proud of how our team is investing in local talent and ensuring they have the skills and tools to drive digital transformation forward. We believe these initiatives will play a pivotal role in accelerating the growth of the ICT sector in Saudi Arabia. Q4. Can you tell us more about the Dell Technologies Forum that took place in Riyadh recently? Dell Technologies Forum is our annual event that brings together industry leaders, technology experts and innovators to explore and unlock unique business insights. Over the years, the Forum has come to become an important platform for our customers and partners. This year the event took place on 31 October at the Hilton Riyadh Hotel & Residences. It focused on the transformative role of AI in advancing innovation across Saudi Arabia. Attendees at this year’s Forum explored the latest developments in AI and learned how organizations globally are leveraging these technologies to drive transformation. The full-day event provided a unique opportunity to connect with a diverse community of technologists and industry experts, solution architects and engineers. We received an overwhelming response and look forward to collaborating on the latest advancements in AI alongside our customers and partners in the coming days.