NEOM Tech & Digital Holding Company – the first holding company to be established as a subsidiary of NEOM – announced Oracle as the first tenant of its hyperscale data centre at NEOM. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) will be hosted at the data centre, providing a high-performing, resilient foundation for cloud services.
To meet business continuity and compliance requirements, Oracle’s unique dual-region cloud strategy enables customers to deploy resilient applications in multiple geographically separated locations within a country – without having sensitive data leave the country. The agreement follows the successful launch of the Oracle Cloud Saudi Arabia West Region in Jeddah in February 2020 and supports Oracle’s commitment to open two dedicated cloud regions in the Kingdom.
Speaking at the Kingdom’s flagship Future Investment Initiative event, His Excellency Abdullah Alswaha, Minister for Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of the NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Company and the Board of Directors said: “Saudi Arabia is fast emerging as a global technology hub and NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Co.’s partnerships with Oracle and EzdiTek will enable us to build the foundations required to deliver on our full potential. The data centre will not only attract global businesses by creating a powerful platform for knowledge exchange, but it will also empower innovators to pilot their ideas at scale inside the Kingdom. Today’s announcement means the realisation of technology that will serve the ambitions of the public and private sector across the region and far beyond, positioning Saudi Arabia at the forefront of the industry.”
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Richard Smith, Executive Vice President – Technology, EMEA, Oracle, said: “We are fully committed to supporting Saudi Arabia’s digital economy objectives in line with Saudi Vision 2030. Conceived and architected on security-first principles, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is the preferred cloud in Saudi Arabia. With this collaboration with NEOM, we are now expanding our footprint in the Kingdom to continue supporting the digital transformation initiatives of the country’s public and private sector organisations.”
Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, said: “Establishing a hyperscale data centre at NEOM represents a significant milestone and is the first step in creating NEOM as a new internet exchange point. This partnership offers a dynamic blueprint for alliances, making a major stride towards our goal of becoming an economic engine for the region and the world.”
The data centre, 51 per cent owned by NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Company and 49 per cent by EzdiTek, will be designed to meet the highest security standards in the industry and serve MENA, parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, and eventually Europe. The data centre is strategically located at the nexus of terrestrial and sub-sea cable cables, enabling it to provide customers with fast and reliable connectivity.
