Comprehensive coverage and updates on Tahaluf across the MENA tech ecosystem.
Tahaluf, the joint venture behind LEAP, signed a three-year partnership with Hong Kong's Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and Tourism Board after the first LEAP East closed with 25,000 attendees.
More than $15bn announced at the fifth edition, against $44.2bn across the previous four. The headline figure is large; the fact that it is now published daily and itemised is the more durable development.
LEAP's exhibitor material dates the 2027 edition to 12–15 April in Riyadh, putting the show back in the spring slot it used before the 2026 edition was moved to the end of August.
Opening DeepFest's third day, SDAIA's chief strategy officer described a shift to considering AI from the outset when services are designed — and put a workforce-adoption figure behind the case for it.
DeepFest 2026 is running real-time deepfake detection and AI-generated music performances on stage, part of a programme organisers say brings together more than 180 voices across four days in Riyadh.
LEAP 2026 opened LEAP Studios, a live hub for podcasts, interviews and creator-led content produced from inside the event, adding a media production line to a show that already runs 16 stages.
LEAP 2026 introduced LEAP Connect, a curated networking environment that uses structured matchmaking to pair founders, investors, C-suite executives and policymakers rather than leaving them to find each other on the show floor.
LEAP's organisers put the fifth edition at more than 200,000 attendees, 1,800 technology brands, 1,000 speakers and 1,900 investors, spread across 16 stages and more than 20 programme tracks at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre.
LEAP 2026 expands its cultural and networking program, LEAP Nights, through a strategic partnership with F1 Saudi Arabia Motorsport, offering 20% off 2027 GP tickets.
LEAP 2026 and DeepFest have been rescheduled to August 31 – September 3 due to Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, delaying major AI announcements.