In collaboration with alfanar, a preeminent international technology and engineering company, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has opened a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With this partnership, the first-ever ‘Saudi Made’ HPE servers - particularly those from the HPE ProLiant computing portfolio - will be produced, marking a significant advancement toward the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and Saudization goals.
Targeting the growing needs of Saudi Arabia’s massive giga-projects and the worldwide market’s shift towards AI and hybrid computing environments, the facility - the first of its type in Saudi Arabia - is expected to produce thousands of HPE ProLiant DL360 and DL380 Gen11 servers yearly. With these servers designed for sophisticated AI workloads, Saudi Arabia is putting a lot of effort into achieving its audacious goal of dominating the AI sector by 2030.
One notable feature of this project is the employment strategy of the facility, which places emphasis on hiring a staff mostly composed of Saudi women. This program is a significant step in the IT sector’s attempts to promote gender inclusion and female empowerment in the area, as well as being in line with the nation's progressive policies under Vision 2030.
alfanar is a multinational corporation with origins in Saudi Arabia that specializes in the production and distribution of a broad range of electrical goods at low, medium, and high voltages. To boost the new facility’s output capacity, HPE and alfanar are already looking at making more investments. These might include creating new manufacturing lines specifically for servers that are geared toward cloud service providers (CSPs) and telcos.
Vice Minister of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Haitham Al-Ohali highlights the effects of Saudi Arabia's growing status as a manufacturing hub: “This marks a significant step in positioning Saudi Arabia as a global tech manufacturing leader and a catalyst for the Kingdom’s digital economy. The collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and alfanar is now materializing as production lines in Saudi Arabia commence operation. This achievement signifies progress in the nation’s technology landscape.”
‘Saudi Tech’ Logo Displayed on HPE Servers
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Investment, the Saudi Exports Development Authority, and the Communications, Space & Technology Commission have all sponsored, supported, and participated in the construction of the new production facility, which will help HPE's global supply chain become more robust and diverse while satisfying the increasing demand from Saudi Arabian customers. The ‘Saudi Tech’ logo will be displayed on HPE servers as part of the ‘Saudi Made’ initiative.
The establishment of such a production facility comes an opportune moment, since Saudi Arabia's need for IT infrastructure is rapidly increasing due to the Kingdom's massive projects and the world's movement towards cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence. The 'Saudi Made' HPE server manufacturing effort would be bolstered by HPE's presence in Riyadh, and the employment of additional sales and technical staff will probably accelerate the growth of the Middle East’s technological innovation ecosystem.
HPE's efforts to support Saudization - a strategy that promotes hiring Saudi nationals - are bolstered by a comprehensive program of high-tech training delivered by international professionals to the local workforce. This knowledge transfer program would demonstrate HPE’s commitment to developing a competitive and sustainable tech industry in Saudi Arabia.
“Our new production facility in Saudi Arabia represents an exciting new development in the HPE supply chain, and the speed in which it has launched is a testament to our partner alfanar and the thriving innovation culture in Saudi Arabia,” said Phil Cutrone, Senior Vice President & General Manager for service providers, OEM and Telco at HPE. “The strength of the Saudi market, its thriving tech ecosystem and skilled workforce gives us great optimism that this site can grow rapidly, delivering thousands of HPE servers, as well as adding product lines from our storage and networking portfolios.”
Availability
Orders for HPE ProLiant DL360 and DL380 Gen11 servers that are ‘Saudi Made’ are now being accepted.
Vision 2030 Plan
Saudi Arabia's ambitious Vision 2030 plan was unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Its goals include moving away from an oil-based economy, promoting the expansion of the private sector, and developing public service industries including health, education, infrastructure, tourism, and leisure. Through broad economic and social changes, it seeks to establish a dynamic society, a strong economy, and an ambitious country.
