Saudi Arabia has built strong momentum in adopting and scaling advanced technologies. The next opportunity is to turn that momentum into more ideas, solutions and businesses created in the Kingdom.”When I look back over the last 12 months, one word comes to mind: momentum,” said Fadle Saad, Managing Director, HP MENA Regional Headquarters. “Saudi Arabia continues to move quickly. We can see it in the growth of the startup ecosystem, in advanced digital government services and, increasingly, in how AI is becoming part of everyday work.”HP Research shows that 36% of Knowledge Workers in KSA use AI tools provided by their employer every day, compared with 46% of Business Leaders and 50% of IT decision makers.”These numbers show progress, but they also point to the opportunity ahead,” Saad said. “AI can help people analyze information faster, reduce repetitive work and make better decisions. Those gains create more time for work that requires judgment, creativity and expertise. But adoption is only the starting point. The larger question is what we choose to build with these capabilities.”From Optimization to CreationImproving how people work today is an important part of AI’s value. Its greater potential is in helping people and organizations create products, services and business models, and solve problems in ways that were previously difficult or impossible.”Adopting new tools is important, but what ultimately matters is what we build with them,” Saad said. “At HP, our role is not only to bring leading technology to the Kingdom. We also want to help Saudi talent apply that technology in ways that lead to ideas, solutions and opportunities created here.”As access to powerful technologies becomes more widespread, technology alone will not create an innovation economy. People need the skills and confidence to use it, practical challenges to work on, space to experiment, and connections to the expertise and industries that can help ideas become useful solutions.The strength of an innovation ecosystem is not only in its individual parts, but in how well they connect. The shorter the path between learning a new skill, testing an idea and applying it to a real problem, the greater the opportunity to turn knowledge into value.”Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were able to experiment and build together in their little garage in Palo Alto,” Saad said. “For HP, the garage has always represented something bigger than a place. It is a reminder that ideas need the right environment to develop. When talented people have the opportunity to learn, test and collaborate, they can build solutions that matter.”That principle underpins HP Garage 2.0, a new incubator in Saudi Arabia announced at LEAP 2026.HP Garage 2.0 is designed to help startups turn ideas into relevant, impactful solutions in support of Vision 2030. It will bring together startups, educators, industry and HP expertise in a collaborative environment focused on learning and creative problem solving.”For me, the significance of HP Garage 2.0 is that it connects investments and initiatives across the Kingdom,” Saad said. ” By fostering learning, collaboration and access to technology, we aim to help empower Saudi innovators to turn bold ideas into real-world impactConnecting Skills, R&D and EntrepreneurshipHP Garage 2.0 forms part of HP’s broader investment in Saudi Arabia’s technology ecosystem.At its AI R&D Center of Excellence in Dhahran, HP is developing locally relevant AI solutions, including Agent One, an enterprise agentic AI solution for IT operations, and FlowMaster, which uses AI to automate document heavy administrative processes.In Riyadh, HP’s manufacturing presence contributes to its broader local technology footprint. Education programs, including the HP AI Academy, are also helping develop AI and digital capabilities.Together, these initiatives support different stages of innovation. Education builds skills. R&D applies expertise to locally relevant challenges. Manufacturing adds local technology capability. HP Garage 2.0 adds an entrepreneurship layer where startups can test ideas and develop solutions.For entrepreneurs, the value lies in connecting these elements so that learning can lead to experimentation, experimentation can address a practical need, and a promising solution can move closer to real world application.”That connection matters,” Saad said. “When talent, technology, industry knowledge and opportunities to experiment come together, good ideas have a stronger chance of becoming useful solutions.”Collaboration for Long Term ValueNo company can build an innovation ecosystem alone. Sustained progress depends on close collaboration between government, industry, educational institutions, entrepreneurs and technology companies.HP continues to work with Saudi partners including the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Investment and SAMI Advanced Electronics, alongside educational institutions, customers, suppliers and startups.”The scale and ambition of Vision 2030 make public and private sector collaboration essential,” Saad said. “Each part of the ecosystem brings something different. When those strengths are connected, ideas can move more quickly from concept to application and, over time, to broader economic value.”Saudi Arabia has already shown how quickly it can adopt and scale new technologies. The next chapter is about building on that progress by enabling more innovation to be developed in the Kingdom, by Saudi talent, through strong partnerships.”Saudi Arabia has already shown how quickly it can adopt and scale new technologies,” Saad concluded. “The next chapter is about building on that progress so that more innovation is created here, by local talent, through strong partnerships, with the potential to create value within the Kingdom and beyond. Adopting technology is an important step. What matters most is what we build with it.”Saudi Arabia has built strong momentum in adopting and scaling advanced technologies. The next opportunity is to turn that momentum into more ideas, solutions and businesses created in the Kingdom.”When I look back over the last 12 months, one word comes to mind: momentum,” said Fadle Saad, Managing Director, HP MENA Regional Headquarters. “Saudi Arabia continues to move quickly. We can see it in the growth of the startup ecosystem, in advanced digital government services and, increasingly, in how AI is becoming part of everyday work.”HP Research shows that 36% of Knowledge Workers in KSA use AI tools provided by their employer every day, compared with 46% of Business Leaders and 50% of IT decision makers.”These numbers show progress, but they also point to the opportunity ahead,” Saad said. “AI can help people analyze information faster, reduce repetitive work and make better decisions. Those gains create more time for work that requires judgment, creativity and expertise. But adoption is only the starting point. The larger question is what we choose to build with these capabilities.”From Optimization to CreationImproving how people work today is an important part of AI’s value. Its greater potential is in helping people and organizations create products, services and business models, and solve problems in ways that were previously difficult or impossible.”Adopting new tools is important, but what ultimately matters is what we build with them,” Saad said. “At HP, our role is not only to bring leading technology to the Kingdom. We also want to help Saudi talent apply that technology in ways that lead to ideas, solutions and opportunities created here.”As access to powerful technologies becomes more widespread, technology alone will not create an innovation economy. People need the skills and confidence to use it, practical challenges to work on, space to experiment, and connections to the expertise and industries that can help ideas become useful solutions.The strength of an innovation ecosystem is not only in its individual parts, but in how well they connect. The shorter the path between learning a new skill, testing an idea and applying it to a real problem, the greater the opportunity to turn knowledge into value.”Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were able to experiment and build together in their little garage in Palo Alto,” Saad said. “For HP, the garage has always represented something bigger than a place. It is a reminder that ideas need the right environment to develop. When talented people have the opportunity to learn, test and collaborate, they can build solutions that matter.”That principle underpins HP Garage 2.0, a new incubator in Saudi Arabia announced at LEAP 2026.HP Garage 2.0 is designed to help startups turn ideas into relevant, impactful solutions in support of Vision 2030. It will bring together startups, educators, industry and HP expertise in a collaborative environment focused on learning and creative problem solving.”For me, the significance of HP Garage 2.0 is that it connects investments and initiatives across the Kingdom,” Saad said. ” By fostering learning, collaboration and access to technology, we aim to help empower Saudi innovators to turn bold ideas into real-world impactConnecting Skills, R&D and EntrepreneurshipHP Garage 2.0 forms part of HP’s broader investment in Saudi Arabia’s technology ecosystem.At its AI R&D Center of Excellence in Dhahran, HP is developing locally relevant AI solutions, including Agent One, an enterprise agentic AI solution for IT operations, and FlowMaster, which uses AI to automate document heavy administrative processes.In Riyadh, HP’s manufacturing presence contributes to its broader local technology footprint. Education programs, including the HP AI Academy, are also helping develop AI and digital capabilities.Together, these initiatives support different stages of innovation. Education builds skills. R&D applies expertise to locally relevant challenges. Manufacturing adds local technology capability. HP Garage 2.0 adds an entrepreneurship layer where startups can test ideas and develop solutions.For entrepreneurs, the value lies in connecting these elements so that learning can lead to experimentation, experimentation can address a practical need, and a promising solution can move closer to real world application.”That connection matters,” Saad said. “When talent, technology, industry knowledge and opportunities to experiment come together, good ideas have a stronger chance of becoming useful solutions.”Collaboration for Long Term ValueNo company can build an innovation ecosystem alone. Sustained progress depends on close collaboration between government, industry, educational institutions, entrepreneurs and technology companies.HP continues to work with Saudi partners including the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Investment and SAMI Advanced Electronics, alongside educational institutions, customers, suppliers and startups.”The scale and ambition of Vision 2030 make public and private sector collaboration essential,” Saad said. “Each part of the ecosystem brings something different. When those strengths are connected, ideas can move more quickly from concept to application and, over time, to broader economic value.”Saudi Arabia has already shown how quickly it can adopt and scale new technologies. The next chapter is about building on that progress by enabling more innovation to be developed in the Kingdom, by Saudi talent, through strong partnerships.”Saudi Arabia has already shown how quickly it can adopt and scale new technologies,” Saad concluded. “The next chapter is about building on that progress so that more innovation is created here, by local talent, through strong partnerships, with the potential to create value within the Kingdom and beyond. Adopting technology is an important step. What matters most is what we build with it.”
