Databricks Expands into Saudi Arabia with Riyadh Office and Strategic Partnerships

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 12, 2024 – Databricks, the Data and AI company, has officially launched operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the opening of a new office in Riyadh. Through strategic partnerships and investment in local talent, Databricks aims to empower organizations in Saudi Arabia by integrating data, analytics, and AI via the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.

Prominent companies in the region, such as Abdul Latif Jameel and Panda Retail, are already leveraging the platform to innovate and drive business success.

“Democratizing data and AI across an organization is a top priority for every CEO today,” said Andy Kofoid, President and Head of Worldwide Operations at Databricks. “The Databricks Data Intelligence Platform has the power to support the most innovative companies and entrepreneurs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to derive greater insights from their enterprise data and build generative AI solutions much faster. The growth and adoption of new technologies across the Kingdom are unparalleled and establishing a presence here is an exciting milestone for Databricks.”

“We are thrilled to welcome such an innovative company as Databricks to the Kingdom,” said Mohammed Alrobayan, Deputy Minister for Technology in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT). “We are building a powerful ecosystem of cloud providers and software companies to support businesses and government partners achieve a new level of technical excellence and innovation. Databricks’ presence in Saudi Arabia will support these ambitions.”

Welcoming Mohammad Alzaubi as General Manager and Opening of Riyadh Office

The company recently welcomed Mohammad Alzaubi as General Manager to lead operations locally. Bringing a wealth of experience from IBM, SAP and Microsoft, Alzaubi will drive further adoption of the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform across a range of industries, including financial services, telecommunications, energy, and retail. To support its growing team and local customers, Databricks also opened a new office in the Al Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh.

Upskilling with Data Engineering and Forging Local Partnerships

MCIT, represented by the Future Skills Initiative, in collaboration with the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) and the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), has recognized the Databricks ‘Data Engineer Professional’ and Databricks ‘Engineer Associate’ certifications as part of its globally recognized professional certifications.

As part of its plans to drive adoption of the Data Intelligence Platform amongst its customers in Saudi Arabia, Databricks has committed to running a data engineer training and certification program with MCIT. This recognition enables Saudi Arabian citizens who pass these certifications to receive financial reimbursement, fostering the development of national competencies and supporting professional excellence in the field of data engineering.

Databricks Alignment with Vision 2030

Databricks’ launch in the Kingdom aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 framework, which aims to diversify the economy, empower citizens, and create a vibrant environment for both local and international companies. Technology plays a key role in Vision 2030, and the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform can be a crucial enabler by democratizing access to analytics and intelligent applications by marrying customers’ data with powerful AI models tuned to the unique characteristics of their business.

Sanabil Investments, a wholly owned company by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), recognized Databrick’s potential to contribute to the Kingdom’s vibrant technology ecosystem and participated in Databricks’ greater than $500 million Series I funding round in 2023.

“Our investment in Databricks reflects our focus on investing in transformational companies leading the global tech innovation,” said a spokesperson from Sanabil Investments, a wholly owned company by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). “Backing the best software companies to enable technology shifts across industries is an important part of our mission, and we are excited for the value Databricks will unlock for customers in Saudi Arabia. Databricks’ Data Intelligence Platform makes it easy for modern companies to manage their data and adopt enterprise AI at scale, with a growing number of companies in the Kingdom starting their modernization journey and interested in the promise of data intelligence.”

About Databricks

Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including Block, Comcast, Condé Nast, Rivian, Shell and over 60% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to take control of their data and put it to work with AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe, and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark, Delta Lake and MLflow.

Source: Databricks