Smart Data & AI Summit 2026 — Saudi Arabia
📅 Wednesday, 26 August 2026 → Thursday, 27 August 2026 in 71 days
The third edition of Tradepass's Smart Data & AI Summit gathers 300+ senior data and AI leaders in Riyadh on 26-27 August 2026. Sessions span generative and predictive AI, machine learning, intelligent automation, robotics-adjacent transformation and data governance under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and Project Transcendence AI push.
The Smart Data & AI Summit 2026 is the third Saudi edition of Tradepass's regional data-and-AI series, running 26-27 August 2026 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Riyadh. The summit is built around the Kingdom's accelerating shift to data-driven decision-making and AI-powered operations, framed by Vision 2030 and the recently launched $100 billion national AI initiative, Project Transcendence.
What it is
This is a curated, decision-maker-focused conference and exhibition rather than a mass expo. The organiser describes a pre-qualified audience of 300+ senior data and AI stakeholders — Chief Data Officers, CIOs, CTOs and heads of data science, business intelligence, analytics, AI strategy, machine learning, automation and robotics — alongside 200+ organisations, 50+ speakers and 25+ solution providers. Past editions drew leaders from government, banking, insurance, telecom, oil and gas, healthcare, logistics and education.
Programme themes
The published key topics centre squarely on applied AI: bridging predictive and generative AI, AI in smart-city and urban development, data mesh and data virtualization for enterprise-scale value, and navigating transparency versus national security in open data. Machine learning at scale, intelligent automation and robotics in industrial transformation feature among the practitioner tracks, with a conference main stage, Q&A sessions and an exhibition floor.
Why it matters
Saudi Arabia is positioning itself among the top global adopters of AI, with its data-analytics market projected to reach $8.8 billion by 2030 and AI's contribution to the economy forecast at $135 billion. Events like this one map how that capital is translating into sovereign AI models, enterprise analytics adoption and automation across regulated sectors — making it a useful read on how Gulf AI investment is moving from policy announcements into procurement and deployment. For the Middle East AI landscape, the summit is one of the more focused, practitioner-led gatherings, distinct from the larger government-policy stages such as the Global AI Summit.
Registration is required and the event is paid; sponsorship, speaking and delegate passes are handled through the organiser. Verify current pricing and the agenda on the official site before attending.
