logo
Tencent Cloud expands with inaugural Middle East cloud region in Saudi Arabia

Tencent Cloud expands with inaugural Middle East cloud region in Saudi Arabia

Zawya10-02-2025
The new Cloud Region will feature two availability zones operating out of Saudi Arabia, leveraging state-of-the-art cloud infrastructure to drive digital transformation across the Middle East.
The new Cloud Region will mark Saudi Arabia's entry into Tencent Cloud's extensive global network of over 50 availability zones across 21 regions, enabling the delivery of an expanded suite of cutting-edge SaaS and PaaS solutions to the Middle East and globally.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, has today announced the launch of its first Middle East Cloud Region in Saudi Arabia, featuring two availability zones with full redundancy, advanced cloud services, and AI capabilities.
The new availability zones, expected to be operational by 2025, will mark Saudi Arabia's entry into Tencent Cloud's extensive global network of over 50 availability zones across 21 regions, enabling the delivery of an expanded suite of cutting-edge SaaS and PaaS solutions to the Middle East. These include advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), innovative digital media capabilities, superapp technologies, and more,
The announcement, made at the Ministry of Communications and Technology's (MCIT) flagship LEAP 2025 technology summit, was followed by a business operation commitment of over US$150 million in infrastructure, resources, and investment over the next few years. This commitment is expected to increase and will support the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and drive new digital innovations.
Commenting on the announcement made at LEAP 2025, Mr. Dan Hu, Vice President of Tencent Cloud International for the Middle East and North Africa, hailed the new Cloud Region as a milestone in Tencent Cloud's Middle East growth story; 'We're excited to have grown alongside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and look forward to ramping up Cloud support for the Kingdom and the Middle East more broadly. The new Cloud Region strengthens our ability to support the country's digital transformation journey across important regional verticals, including digital media and streaming, video gaming, esports, e-commerce, tourism, financial services, telecommunications and more.'
Tencent has been a key player in the multi-billion dollar digital entertainment, media and streaming industries. Tencent is also a global video game operator and publisher of many global leading game titles such as Honor of Kings and PUBG MOBILE.
With over two decades of innovation in supporting games, social media, payment and a number of music and video platforms in China and globally, Tencent Cloud offers bespoke digital entertainment and media solutions tailored to meet today's content creation and distribution needs.
"Tencent Cloud's decision to launch its first cloud region in Saudi Arabia represents a significant milestone for digital transformation in the Middle East," Mohammed AlRobayan, Deputy Minister of Technology at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), said. "This new cloud region will enhance the Kingdom's digital infrastructure and accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies. It also reflects confidence in Saudi Arabia's ambition to become a global hub for digital solutions and smart technology, fostering an economy driven by innovation and knowledge."
Beyond strengthening digital infrastructure within Saudi Arabia, the expansion comes amid the country's push to become a leading global gaming and e-sports hub, under the auspices of Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and Esports Strategy. This positions Saudi Arabia to excel on the global stage, particularly as the country prepares to host the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC).
In 2024, Tencent Cloud achieved consistent double-digit growth in the international market, with the Middle East emerging as one of the fastest-growing regions. This growth was driven by strong demand for Tencent Cloud's unique ecosystem capabilities and world-class media technology services and solutions. Our technologies and solutions have enabled the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to develop its first ever, AI-powered 'digital ambassador' for culture and tourism, Khalifa with Tencent Cloud technologies.
Tencent Cloud empowers global enterprises with cutting-edge solutions. BYD, a leading automaker, leverages Tencent Cloud's intelligent vehicle cloud platform for global markets to accelerate digital transformation. Tencent Meeting/VooV also connects BYD employees across six continents and 30+ industrial zones for enhanced communication and operational efficiency. Meanwhile, Lightchat, a leading social and live streaming platform in the Middle East, integrates Tencent Cloud's TRTC services for low-latency, high-quality real-time communication. With Tencent's media solutions, Lightchat meets surging live streaming demands instantly, delivering a stable and immersive user experience worldwide.
This success extends to Tencent Cloud's collaboration with ZainTech, a local digital solutions provider under Zain Group, to introduce Digital Twin solutions to local enterprises, driving innovation and operational efficiency. Additionally, regional game development company PlaysOut worked with Tencent Cloud to launch a modular, open platform for creating mini-games, enabling greater scalability and global reach. At LEAP 2025, we are setting a strong foundation for future growth together with our global partners, YZ-Intelligence and MiniGame. YZ-Intelligence, a comprehensive service provider of Cloud and Artificial Intelligence, offers professional IT consulting services and customized cloud computing solutions to support enterprises in their digital transformation journey. Leveraging Tencent Cloud's ecosystem capabilities, MiniGame aims to drive innovation and growth in the global HTML5 gaming market, empowering local enterprises in the Middle East with a broader range of services and entertainment options for their users with MiniGame's extensive game library and distribution capabilities.
Tencent Cloud provides invaluable growth opportunities for Middle Eastern businesses to expand into the Chinese market, offering the infrastructure and expertise to navigate and unlock new opportunities. Looking ahead, Tencent Cloud remains committed to working alongside its partners to create a more connected, efficient, and sustainable future for businesses and public organizations alike.
More broadly, Tencent Cloud has established a robust presence across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific, which is fueled by its service to over 10,000 enterprise customers across 30 industries in over 80 markets and regions. This global expansion is powered by Tencent Cloud's ability to integrate innovative technologies into its service offerings, enhancing customer experiences and fostering long-term scalability and growth.
About Tencent Cloud
Tencent Cloud, one of the world's leading cloud companies, is committed to creating innovative solutions to resolve real-world issues and enabling digital transformation for smart industries. Through our extensive global infrastructure, Tencent Cloud provides businesses across the globe with stable and secure industry-leading cloud products and services, leveraging technological advancements such as cloud computing, Big Data analytics, AI, IoT and network security. It is our constant mission to meet the needs of industries across the board, including the fields of gaming, media and entertainment, finance, healthcare, property, retail, travel and transportation.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

ADNOC L&S Q2 revenue up 40% YoY to $1,258 million
ADNOC L&S Q2 revenue up 40% YoY to $1,258 million

Al Etihad

time20 minutes ago

  • Al Etihad

ADNOC L&S Q2 revenue up 40% YoY to $1,258 million

12 Aug 2025 11:01 ABU DHABI (WAM) ADNOC Logistics and Services plc (ADNOC L&S) on Tuesday reported record-breaking second-quarter (Q2) and first-half (H1) results for 2025, surpassing market expectations and demonstrating resilience and operational strength in a volatile L&S's Q2 revenue increased by 40 percent year-on-year (YoY) to US$1,258 million (Dh4,618 million) with EBITDA growing 31 percent YoY to $400 million (Dh1,470 million).Net profit for the quarter grew 14 percent YoY to $236 million (Dh866 million).In H1 2025, the company's revenue was $2,439 million (Dh8,957 million), a 40 percent YoY increase. EBITDA rose by 26 percent YoY to $744 million (Dh2,732 million), driven by robust performance across all business segments, sustaining EBITDA margin at 30 profit for H1 2025 was $420 million (Dh1,544 million), up 5 percent YoY, and up 18 percent compared to H2 L&S's diverse and resilient business model enabled the company to deliver strong net profit and operating cash flow despite challenging shipping charter rate environments in Gas, Tankers, and Dry by strong performance in its core business segments and improving margins, ADNOC L&S has upgraded its full-year guidance, expecting faster growth due to continued momentum and enhanced operational efficiency across key company continues to enhance value and streamline operations across its diverse asset portfolio, while advancing integration and innovation through its shipping and logistics subsidiaries, Navig8 and Zakher Marine International (ZMI).CEO of ADNOC L&S, Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, said, 'We are proud to report our highest-ever quarterly results, underscoring the strength of our growth strategy and our ability to capitalise on diversified opportunities across our Integrated Logistics, Shipping, and Services segments."He added that this record-breaking performance reflects ADNOC L&S's continued outperformance of market expectations, driven by robust cash flows, strategic partnerships, and operational Masabi said the integrated logistics segment delivered a solid performance, with revenues rising 22 percent YoY to $1,293 million (Dh4,748 million), reflecting strong demand and strategic growth in key areas. As a result, EBITDA rose by 27 percent YoY to $420 million (Dh1,542 million), highlighting the segment's significant contribution to the company's overall strong, profitable growth was mainly driven by continued strong utilisation and rates on Jack-up Barges (JUBs), improved profitability on the Integrated Logistics Solution Platform, and increased chartering activity beyond the ILSP. Additionally, Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) projects, including the G-Island and Hail & Ghasha, contributed to strong revenue the shipping segment, it demonstrated exceptional growth, with revenues surging 89 percent YoY to $981 million (Dh3,602 million). This performance was primarily driven by the consolidation of revenue from the Navig8 tanker fleet, marking a key milestone in the company's strategic EBITDA increased by 25 percent YoY to $290 million (Dh1,067 million), despite substantially weaker market conditions than H1 2024, reflecting strong operational execution. A robust EBITDA margin of 30 percent reinforces ADNOC L&S's ability to generate strong value even in less buoyant services segment continues to extend ADNOC L&S's diversified business model, with revenues rising 4 percent YoY to $165 million (Dh607 million). EBITDA grew 22 percent YoY to $33 million (Dh121 million), primarily driven by higher volumes at the Borouge Container Terminal and the share of profit from Navig8's bunkering business (Integr8).

Trump signs order to extend China tariff truce by 90 days
Trump signs order to extend China tariff truce by 90 days

Sharjah 24

timean hour ago

  • Sharjah 24

Trump signs order to extend China tariff truce by 90 days

The White House's halt on steeper tariffs will be in place until November 10. "I have just signed an Executive Order that will extend the Tariff Suspension on China for another 90 days," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The truce on steeper levies had been due to expire Tuesday. While the United States and China slapped escalating tariffs on each other's products this year, bringing them to prohibitive triple-digit levels and snarling trade, both countries in May agreed to temporarily lower them. As part of their May truce, fresh US tariffs targeting China were reduced to 30 percent and the corresponding level from China was cut to 10 percent. Those rates will now hold until November -- or whenever a deal is cut before then. Around the same time that Trump confirmed the new extension, Chinese state media Xinhua news agency published a joint statement from US-China talks in Stockholm saying it would also extend its side of the truce. China will continue suspending its earlier tariff hike for 90 days starting August 12 while retaining a 10-percent duty, the report said. It would also "take or maintain necessary measures to suspend or remove non-tariff countermeasures against the United States, as agreed in the Geneva joint declaration," Xinhua reported. In the executive order posted Monday to its website, the White House reiterated its position that there are "large and persistent annual US goods trade deficits" and they "constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States." The order acknowledged Washington's ongoing discussions with Beijing "to address the lack of trade reciprocity in our economic relationship" and noted that China has continued to "take significant steps toward remedying" the US complaints. Trump-Xi summit? "Beijing will be happy to keep the US-China negotiation going, but it is unlikely to make concessions," warned William Yang, an analyst at the International Crisis Group. He believes China sees its leverage over rare earth exports as a strong one, and that Beijing will likely use it to pressure Washington. US-China Business Council president Sean Stein said the current extension is "critical to give the two governments time to negotiate an agreement" providing much-needed certainty for companies to make plans. A trade deal, in turn, would "pave the way for a Trump-Xi summit this fall," said Asia Society Policy Institute senior vice president Wendy Cutler. But Cutler, herself a former US trade official, said: "This will be far from a walk in the park." Since Trump took office, China's tariffs have essentially boomeranged, from the initially modest 10 percent hike in February, followed by repeated surges as Beijing and Washington clashed, until it hit a high of 145 percent in April. Now the tariff has been pulled back to 30 percent, a negotiated truce rate. Even as both countries reached a pact to cool tensions after high level talks in Geneva in May, the de-escalation has been shaky. Key economic officials convened in London in June as disagreements emerged and US officials accused their counterparts of violating the pact. Policymakers met again in Stockholm last month. Trump said in a social media post Sunday that he hoped China will "quickly quadruple its soybean orders," adding this would be a way to balance trade with the United States. China's exports reached record highs in 2024, and Beijing reported that their exports exceeded expectations in June, climbing 5.8 percent year-on-year, as the economic superpower works to sustain growth amid Trump's trade war. Separately, since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has slapped a 10-percent "reciprocal" tariff on almost all trading partners, aimed at addressing trade practices Washington deemed unfair. This surged to varying steeper levels last Thursday for dozens of economies. Major partners like the European Union, Japan and South Korea now see a 15-percent US duty on many products, while the level went as high as 41 percent for Syria. The "reciprocal" tariffs exclude sectors that have been targeted individually, such as steel and aluminum, and those that are being investigated like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. They are also expected to exclude gold, although a clarification by US customs authorities made public last week caused concern that certain gold bars might still be targeted. Trump said Monday that gold imports will not face additional tariffs, without providing further details. The president has taken separate aim at individual countries such as Brazil over the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of planning a coup, and India over its purchase of Russian oil. Canada and Mexico come under a different tariff regime.

Dubai to Host Inaugural WHX Tech 2025, Showcasing Global Digital Health and AI Innovations
Dubai to Host Inaugural WHX Tech 2025, Showcasing Global Digital Health and AI Innovations

Hi Dubai

timean hour ago

  • Hi Dubai

Dubai to Host Inaugural WHX Tech 2025, Showcasing Global Digital Health and AI Innovations

The inaugural WHX Tech 2025, a new global digital health event by Informa Markets, will take place from 8 to 10 September at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Held in collaboration with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and under the patronage of key UAE health authorities, the event will spotlight artificial intelligence, women-led innovation, and practical healthcare solutions. More than 200 speakers, 300 brands, and 5,000 healthcare leaders from over 30 countries are expected. The World X stage will feature sessions on generative AI breakthroughs, women's leadership in healthcare, and real-world technology case studies. Key speakers include Tatyana Kanzaveli, Founder and CEO of Open Health Network, who will explore how AI can transform clinical trials, decision-making, and personalised care. Dr. Rashmi Rao of Philips and Meghan Huffman of Novant Health will lead discussions on innovation, adoption, and patient-centric care. The event will also host live hospital simulations, the US$50,000 WHX Tech Xcelerate Startup Competition, and curated investor matchmaking to move solutions from concept to implementation. Peter Hall, President – Middle East, India, Türkiye & Africa at Informa Markets, said WHX Tech will anchor Dubai's position as a global hub for healthcare innovation, connecting leaders to shape the sector's future. News Source: Emirates News Agency

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store