JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s commercial registrations for artificial intelligence activities has risen 31 percent since 2025 to 24,552, highlighting the rapid expansion of technology-driven businesses in the Kingdom, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The ministry attributed the expansion to growth in computer programming, information and communications activities.

It said 192,000 commercial registrations had been issued since the beginning of 2026, as of September.

The Ministry of Commerce said logistics services grew 25 percent, with 32,154 registrations, while creative activities, arts and entertainment also grew 25 percent, reaching 8,650 commercial registrations.

“Commercial registrations in the electronic games industry increased 24 percent to 977, while cybersecurity registrations grew 22 percent to 11,275,” the ministry said in its statement.

Saudi Arabia accelerates AI push

The Kingdom designated 2026 as the Year of Artificial Intelligence, with the initiative aimed at coordinating national efforts to promote the adoption of AI technologies and support the development of a data- and AI-driven economy.

The push includes Humain, a Public Investment Fund company established in May 2025 to develop and manage advanced AI technologies and infrastructure, enhance human capabilities, and unlock opportunities in the digital economy.

The company operates across the AI value chain, from next-generation data centres equipped with hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units to cloud platforms that support secure, scalable AI development.

In July, Humain and Canada’s Cohere announced a strategic partnership to build a large-scale AI infrastructure deployment and develop enterprise and sovereign AI models, with the deployment expected to go live in the fourth quarter of 2027.

Logistics, creative sectors also post strong growth

According to the latest figures, registrations for businesses operating in virtual and augmented reality technologies increased by 21 percent to 13,853, while registrations in entertainment and gaming rose 16 percent to 9,483.

Registrations in financial and insurance activities grew 12 percent to 16,950, while e-commerce registrations reached 52,241, marking a 9 percent increase.

The number of commercial registrations in Saudi Arabia has risen to more than 1.9 million, including 1.3 million permits for establishments, 599,000 for limited liability companies, and 5,000 for joint-stock companies, according to the ministry.

In its 2025 Vision 2030 report, the Ministry of Commerce said commercial registrations across AI, modern technology, the digital economy, and entertainment rose from 14,163 in 2024 to 19,042 in 2025, highlighting the broader expansion of technology-driven activities in the Kingdom.