Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,Aug 2026: As Saudi Arabia marks 2026 as the Year of Artificial Intelligence, LEAP 2026 will bring together the world’s leading AI companies, investors and innovators in Riyadh for four days of announcements, partnerships and industry-defining discussions, reinforcing the Kingdom’s position at the forefront of the global AI economy.
The event will welcome an unprecedented concentration of technology leaders from the companies building the infrastructure powering the next generation of artificial intelligence. Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of AMD, and Tareq Amin, Chief Executive Officer of HUMAIN, will be joined by Matthew Zielinski, Executive Vice President of International Markets at Lenovo, and Nick Law, Creative Chairperson of Accenture Song. The programme will also feature senior leaders from EY, PwC, Qualcomm, Luma AI and other organisations shaping the future of AI and emerging technologies.
The designation of 2026 as the Year of Artificial Intelligence reflects the Kingdom’s rapidly advancing AI ecosystem, with Saudi organisations now outperforming their global peers in investment scale, technology maturity and confidence in realising AI value. More than three quarters expect AI to deliver return on investment at scale within 12 months, the highest level of any region, making LEAP 2026 the platform where that momentum is translated into partnerships, investment and enterprise deployment, further reinforcing Riyadh’s position as a global destination for AI innovation and collaborat
“Saudi Arabia has rapidly established itself as one of the world’s most exciting technology markets,” said Mike Champion, CEO of Tahaluf and Co-creator of LEAP. “The calibre of leaders joining LEAP this year reflects that transformation. Riyadh has become a place where the world’s biggest technology companies come together not only to discuss the future of AI, but to build it through collaboration, investment and real-world applications.”
At the heart of LEAP 2026, Tech Arena will once again serve as the event’s flagship stage for breakthrough innovation. What sets this year’s programme apart is its focus on AI in action. Rather than simply discussing future possibilities, Tech Arena will showcase working technologies through live demonstrations, functional prototypes and inventor-led sessions. Across its sessions, 93% will feature a live demonstration, working prototype or inventor-led conversation, up from 62% in 2025.
Demonstrations at LEAP 2026 will showcase how artificial intelligence is already transforming healthcare and human augmentation through technologies already moving from research into real-world deployment. Aadeel Akhtar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PSYONIC, will demonstrate the company’s AI-powered prosthetic hand, which reads muscle signals and adapts to its wearer in real time, while Andreas Forsland, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cognixion, will present Axon-R, a non-invasive brain-computer interface that combines EEG, augmented reality and AI to translate neural signals into action. Together, these live demonstrations will give attendees a rare opportunity to experience firsthand how AI is reshaping the future of accessibility, rehabilitation and human-machine interaction.
Also launching this year within Tech Arena is the Inventor Fireside Chat series, giving attendees direct access to the engineers and scientists behind today’s most important breakthroughs. Featured speakers include Koichi Wakata, astronaut and Chief Technology Officer at Axiom Space, and Mike Pell, one of the creators of the PDF at Adobe, who will share the stories behind the breakthrough technologies they helped create.
Mazen Baroudi, EY MENA CTO, said: “LEAP brings together the full AI ecosystem – from chipmakers and cloud providers to frontier model developers and organizations deploying AI at scale – offering a unique perspective on how the technology is reshaping industries. It also highlights Saudi Arabia’s growing role in the global AI landscape, as the Kingdom fosters innovation, develops locally relevant solutions, and accelerates sustainable economic transformation.”
As Saudi Arabia accelerates its AI ambitions, LEAP 2026 will be where the world’s leading technology companies, investors and innovators come together to shape what comes next. By convening the people driving the future of artificial intelligence, the event will continue to reinforce Riyadh’s position as a global destination for AI innovation, investment and collaboration.
About LEAP:
Saudi Arabia’s rapid transformation into a global technology powerhouse is the driving force behind LEAP.
LEAP showcases Saudi Arabia’s technological ambition to the world, as the Kingdom rapidly establishes itself as a global centre for innovation, investment, and emerging technologies. The figures speak for themselves as LEAP 2025 had an attendance of over 200,000, making it the most attended tech event in the world. LEAP features the inspiring tech of tomorrow across all major sectors including health, finance, energy, education, digital entertainment, transport, smart cities and more. The event is also led by a speaker faculty of globally celebrated technology innovators, focusing on the most innovative tech case studies from around the world.
LEAP is not like any other tech event, from the ground up the community, stakeholders and project team are challenged every day to do something wildly creative and bold, something that reflects the seismic advances in tech adoption being seen in Saudi Arabia.
About Tahaluf:
Headquartered in Riyadh, Tahaluf brings together strategically important commercial communities from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the wider Gulf region and from around the world to a portfolio of world-class exhibitions and digital platforms.
Tahaluf is a joint venture partnership between Informa PLC, the world’s largest trade show organiser, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), and Events Investment Fund (EIF). Sela, the Saudi-owned event production company renowned for its creation of spectacular event experiences, intends to join the joint venture in the near future.
Tahaluf is responsible for the award-winning tech events LEAP, DeepFest and LEAP East, as well as Money 20/20 Middle East, the Global Health Exhibition, Cityscape Global, Black Hat MEA and CPHI Middle East.
