DeepFest 2026 (Riyadh)

DeepFest 2026 is the Middle East's largest dedicated artificial-intelligence event, running 31 August to 3 September 2026 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre (RECC) in Malham, Saudi Arabia. Now in its fourth edition, DeepFest is co-located with LEAP - billed as the world's most-attended tech event - and brings together AI researchers, founders, engineers, product leaders and enterprise buyers under one roof. With 180+ speakers, 120+ global AI brands on the exhibition floor and a projected 68,000+ visitors, it is the anchor AI conference in the Gulf calendar.

What DeepFest is

Launched in 2023, DeepFest has grown from a satellite track into a standalone AI festival with its own main stage, exhibition and programme. It is positioned for people building real systems rather than for spectators: the four days mix keynotes, technical deep-dives, live demos and hands-on workshops led by practitioners deploying AI day to day. The 2025 edition leaned heavily on robotics, with humanoid and service robots - including a coffee-pouring barista bot - drawing crowds on the show floor, and the 2026 programme continues that applied, demonstration-first character alongside a curated exhibition of global AI companies and start-ups. The result is an event that works on two levels at once: a serious professional conference for those deploying AI, and a public-facing showcase that draws large general-audience crowds to see the technology in action.

Programme and themes for 2026

The 2026 edition spotlights national AI strategies and real-world deployment across multiple sectors. Headline themes span AI governance, ethics, sustainability and security, with substantial space given to robotics, generative AI, machine learning, automation, large language models and customer-experience applications. Expect a blend of strategy-level sessions on how governments and large enterprises are scaling AI, and technical tracks aimed at the engineers and data scientists who build it. Core programme strands include:

• Generative AI and large language models in production
• Robotics, humanoids and physical AI
• AI governance, ethics, security and sustainability
• Sector deployments across enterprise and the public sector
• Live demos, technical workshops and start-up showcases

The organisers describe DeepFest as a place to move the conversation "beyond theory into impact," and the format reflects that: alongside the keynote stage, the floor is given over to working demonstrations, so attendees can see models, robots and platforms running rather than only hearing them described from a lectern.

Speakers and partners

DeepFest 2026's announced speaker roster mixes AI company founders, enterprise AI leaders and science communicators. Confirmed names include Andrew Feldman, CEO and co-founder of Cerebras Systems; Noosheen Hashemi, CEO and co-founder of January AI; Joe Atkinson, Global Chief AI Officer at PwC; theoretical physicist and author Michio Kaku; and data-and-AI strategist and author Chandra Donelson. The event is organised by Tahaluf and powered by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), with HUMAIN as Global AI Partner and a sponsor roster that includes Salesforce, AMD, Google Cloud, Oracle, Snowflake, Adobe, Cerebras and EY - a line-up that signals how seriously the global AI industry now treats the Saudi market. The breadth of that roster - chipmakers, cloud providers, enterprise software vendors and consulting firms together in one hall - is itself a signal of how much commercial weight is now concentrated on the region.

Why it matters in 2026

DeepFest is best read against Saudi Arabia's sovereign-AI push. The Kingdom has committed heavily to domestic compute, Arabic-first foundation models and national AI infrastructure under Vision 2030, and SDAIA's backing makes DeepFest a showcase for that strategy as much as a commercial expo. For international vendors, it is one of the most efficient ways to reach Gulf buyers, investors and decision-makers in a single week; for researchers and founders, it is a chance to gauge where regional demand and capital are flowing. The co-location with LEAP multiplies the reach, putting AI-specific programming next to a much larger general technology audience and turning the week into a magnet for the wider Middle East and North Africa tech scene.

How to attend

DeepFest takes place at RECC in Malham, on the northern edge of Riyadh, across four days from 31 August 2026. Tickets, exhibition space and speaking opportunities are handled through the official DeepFest and LEAP websites, and a post-show report from the previous edition is published for those evaluating whether to attend or exhibit. Prospective attendees should confirm the final agenda, ticket tiers and travel logistics directly with the organiser, since speaker line-ups and session schedules for an event of this scale continue to be updated as the dates approach. For anyone serious about AI in the Gulf, DeepFest 2026 is the regional event to plan around.