Saudi Call, an ICT service provider in Saudi Arabia, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in Riyadh with Shanghai Lumaotong Group (LMT) and China Mobile International Limited (CMI) on Sept. 11. This collaboration aims to promote investment in the construction of data centers in Saudi Arabia. According to the MoA, the parties will leverage their strengths to jointly advance the construction of 100MW Tier III & Tier IV Saudi Call Crownland Data Centers in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and NEOM. These facilities will offer integrated solutions, including storage, network coverage, and database services, to support the ever-growing business needs of the region's Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Big Data. Lumaotong Group is establishing a joint venture with Saudi Call to invest in the construction of the Data Centers. CMI, the project partner, will lead the program with their strategic in-kingdom technology partner — ICS Arabia, in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the 100MW Data Center. ICS Arabia has previously designed and delivered a Tier III+ Data Center — Rakeeza for the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA). Additionally, MXC Security, Modon Tech, China Crownland, and other companies witnessed this momentous event to jointly promote the project's implementation. Ibrahim M. Al Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Call, mentioned: "After more than 20 years of development in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Call has become a diversified group company integrating trade, manufacturing, and services. "Saudi Call is looking forward to digital transformation and contributing to Vision 2030. He is excited about collaborating and forming the alliance between LMT, CMI, and ICS Arabia to announce 100MW Tier III & IV Data Centers to realize the Kingdom's objectives." Zhan Lujin, chairman of LMT Group, commented: "LMT plans to bring many more emerging industry sectors to Saudi Arabia, including new energy, new materials, cross-border e-commerce, bulk trade trading platforms, etc. "This Data Center construction project will meet the needs of all these industries in information and data services. It will also meet the data service needs of all enterprises in Saudi Arabia and support the region's Belt and Road Initiative projects." Bonnie Chen, managing director of CMI Saudi Arabia, added that based on our rich network resources and leading Data Center service capabilities, CMI will provide a one-stop solution and professional services for this Data Center project. "We aim to create an industry-leading, high-grade Data Center with all parties, ensuring quality and secure data transmission services to support the growth of the global digital economy." To advance Saudi's Vision 2030, the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology launched a strategic development plan for data centers in 2021. The signing of the MoA will mark a new chapter for Saudi Call, LMT, and CMI in their collaboration in the Data Center sector. It will also promote Saudi's digital development, supporting the realization of Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030". — SG
