Saudi Aramco has signed a number of agreements and memorandums of understanding with leading technology companies during the LEAP 2026 conference, aiming to enhance innovation and technical cooperation, as the company announced on Tuesday in a statement. The agreements focus on cybersecurity, industrial artificial intelligence, innovation, localization of critical technologies, and building national industry capabilities.
Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Aramco, said: "The energy sector is expected to be among the beneficiaries of industrial AI, as we already use AI at the core of our industrial operations." He added that just as Aramco's energy has driven the global economy for 90 years, the energy provided through its investments will help Saudi Arabia become a leading nation in AI and digital solutions in the coming years.
Prior to the start of LEAP 2026 on Monday, Aramco announced the signing of agreements and an MoU with French companies worth a potential total exceeding $3.7 billion, during the French-Saudi Investment Roundtable. The company expects these collaborations to enhance its supply chain ecosystem, raise business continuity and efficiency, develop industrial AI and digital technologies, and contribute to economic value for both Saudi Arabia and France.
In a keynote speech, Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, Aramco's Executive Vice President of Technology and Innovation, outlined the company's strategic framework for industrial AI, built on three pillars: intelligence, trust, and scalability. He said Aramco harnesses AI to enhance exploration, improve production, increase reliability, accelerate engineering work, strengthen maintenance, and ensure employee safety, while building foundations through cloud environments, flexible connectivity, digital ethics, and AI-powered monitoring.