Agenda

09:00 - 09:50

REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS

09:50 - 10:00

INAUGURATION & OPENING CEREMONY

10:00 - 10:15

Lessons / challenges for migration to the cloud large-scale in Saudi Arabia

Zaid Aljameel

Zaid Aljameel

Director of Cloud Infrastructure

Digital Government Authority

10:15 - 10:30

Empowering the Kingdom's Digital Infrastructure Ecosystem

  • How do you empower the Kingdom’s digital infrastructure, namely data center and cloud to meet today’s needs and embrace future AI workloads?
  • What are the key ingredients of a successful national digital infrastructure ecosystem?
  • How can the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia play a key role in the global digital infrastructure landscape?
Mehdi Paryavi

Mehdi Paryavi

Chairman & CEO

International Data Center Authority (IDCA)

10:30 - 10:50

Data Centers Cooling in High Ambient Regions

  • Air cooled chillers
  • Net cooling capacity
  • Energy efficiency
Lorenzo Cipriani

Lorenzo Cipriani

Sr Product Manager – Applied systems

Daikin Middle East and Africa

10:50 - 11:10

Trends in AI cabling clusters

  • Enhanced Port density requires new solutions
  • Scalable cabling solution for flexible pod designs
  • Optimized cable management
Mustafa Akileh

Mustafa Akileh

Middle East Data Center Manager

Corning Optical Communications

11:10 - 11:30

Desert Dragon Data Centers – Advancing Saudi Arabia’s Next-Gen Data Centers with AI-Powered Infrastructure

  • Innovative Data Center as a Catalyst for Vision 2030 and Kingdom’s digital transformation
  • Enhancing Intelligence, Performance, and Sustainability using Cutting-edge technologies
  • Leading the way in innovative data centers – 1st Immersive Cooling Technology Adaptations in the Kingdom
Khurram Shah

Khurram Shah

Chairman

Desert Dragon

11:30 - 12:00

Panel Discussion

Building the AI Factory: Sovereignty, Strategy, and Infrastructure

  • Sovereignty Drives AI Infrastructure Demand: Shift from cloud to sovereign AI infrastructure for national and enterprise control
  • Retrofitting Datacenters for AI: Challenges and practical solutions for upgrading existing facilities
  • Greenfield AI Factory Builds: Why start from scratch and how to do it effectively
Moderator
Anas Al Saifi

Anas Al Saifi

Senior Sales Manager – Telecom Data Center, MEA Region

Delta Electronics

Mohammed Almazroai

Mohammed Almazroai

Data Center Director

Mobily

Said el Bouhali

Said el Bouhali

Head of Data Centers Middle East and Africa

Delta Electronics

Farooq Aljwesm

Farooq Aljwesm

Head of Data Centers

Aramco

12:00 - 12:30

PRAYER BREAK & VISIT TO EXHIBITOR LOUNGE

12:30 - 13:00

Panel Discussion

Powering Saudi’s AI Ambitions: Scaling Data Centres to Meet Hyperscale Demands

  • Role of Data Centres as the Backbone of AI Transformation
  • Building a Future-Ready Digital Infrastructure
  • Driving Hyperscale Success with Public-Private Partnerships
Moderator
Tahir Gok

Tahir Gok

Senior Analyst - MENA Lead

datacenterHawk

Kamel Al Tawil

Kamel Al Tawil

Managing Director

Equinix Middle East FZ LLC

Nishil Dhanani

Nishil Dhanani

Executive Director-Project Development

DataVolt

Khurram Shah

Khurram Shah

Chairman

Desert Dragon

13:00 - 13:20

AI-Factories Infrastructure: Design, Power & Cooling Dynamics

  • Best practices for designing and building AI-ready data centers with resilient Tier compliant infrastructure.
  • Focused on advanced technologies such as direct-to-chip liquid cooling, rapid-response UPS and generator systems to handle fluctuating GPU loads, optimized fluid and power distribution, high-density rack integration, and the unique challenges of commissioning such complex environments
Naveed Saeed

Naveed Saeed

Sr. Vice President, Topology,
Global Tier Authority

Uptime Institute

13:20 - 13:50

Panel Discussion

AI Networking Needs and impact on Cabling Strategy

Moderator
Naveed Saeed

Naveed Saeed

Sr. Vice President, Topology,
Global Tier Authority

Uptime Institute

Hans-Jürgen Niethammer

Hans-Jürgen Niethammer

Market Development Strategic Cloud Business EMEA/APAC

CommScope

TOM GLOVER

TOM GLOVER

Executive Director

Head of Data Centre Transactions EMEA JLL

JENA LADHANI

JENA LADHANI

CEO

CBRE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

13:50 – 14:00

High Reliability and Cost Effective DLC Data Center Built Experience Sharing

  • Experience in building DLC data centers
  • BEEHE liquid cooling product lines
  • Case study: NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 cooling solution
Gaven Gu

Gaven Gu

Sales Engineer

BEEHE Electric CO.,ltd

14:00 - 15:00

LUNCH BREAK & VISIT TO EXHIBITOR LOUNGE

15:00 - 15:30

Panel Discussion

Leveraging Hybrid IT Infrastructure for Effective Digital Transformation in the Generative AI Era

  • Aligning hybrid IT strategies with business goals for digital transformation success
  • Supporting Generative AI deployment and scaling to drive innovation and competitive advantage
  • Enhancing business continuity and disaster recovery through hybrid IT solutions
Moderator
Iftikhar Alvi

Iftikhar Alvi

Head of Special IT Projects

Tatweer Education Holding Company

Ali Hummadi

Ali Hummadi

Executive Director - Digitalization

ARASCO

Javed A. Akbar

Javed A. Akbar

Chief GRC & Data Officer

National Industrialization Company – Tasnee

15:30 – 15:45

The Kingdom: Market Insights & Opportunities

Stephen Beard

Stephen Beard

Global Head of Data Centres

Knight Frank LLP

15:45 - 16:00

AI in the Manufacturing Industry

  • Efficiency
  • Innovation
  • Resilience
Aamir Pirzada

Aamir Pirzada

Chief Information Officer

National Metal Manufacturing & Casting Co. (Maadaniyah)

16:00 Onwards

CLOSING SPEECH AND VISIT TO EXHIBITOR LOUNGE

09:00 - 10:00

REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS

10:00 -10:15

DevSecOps: Embedding Security for Critical Infrastructures and Applications

  • Integrating Security from the Start: Incorporate security measures throughout the entire development lifecycle, rather than as a final step
  • Automate Security Practices: Utilize automated tools and processes to continuously monitor and protect infrastructure against vulnerabilities
Khalid Alusail

Khalid Alusail

Executive Director - Technology Development

Red Sea Global

10:15 - 10:30

Innovation without Limits or Governance without Creativity? Redefining the Relationship Between Risk and Opportunity in Smart City Infrastructure

  • Shift from ‘Compliance vs. Creativity’ to ‘Governance for Innovation’
  • Leverage Open Innovation as a Practical GRC Tool
  • Integrate ‘User Experience’ as a Critical Risk Indicator
ALI AL JANADEBAH

ALI AL JANADEBAH

GM, Org Excellence & Maturity

Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, Al Baha Municipality

10:30 - 10:50

Verifying and troubleshooting critical infrastructure: The ultimate toolbelt for accelerating commissioning and maximising uptime

  • Addressing the challenge of verifying, troubleshooting and certifying network & fibre cabling at speed & scale
  • The power of preventative and predictive maintenance for ensuring uptime of critical infrastructure
Mike Slevin

Mike Slevin

Senior Director Field Sales EMEA/GM

Fluke

10:50 – 11:10

Fireside Chat

Sustainable and Green Datacenters for a Digital Saudi Arabia

  • Implementing energy-efficient practices in data center operations to reduce carbon footprint
  • Investing in renewable energy sources like solar and wind to power data centers
  • Promoting sustainable business practices among tech companies and encouraging the adoption of green technologies
Moderator
Dr. Mohammed ALSURF

Dr. Mohammed ALSURF

Managing Director / Founder & President

Tilad Sustainability Co. / Sustainability Professionals of Saudi Arabia

Muneer uz zaman Mohammed

Muneer uz zaman Mohammed

Director Data Center

Diriyah Company

John Seed

John Seed

Group Director, Strategy & Development

Dar Al Riyadh

11:10 – 11:40

Panel Discussion

Engineering the Future: Enabling High-Performance Data Centres Through Smart Design, Sustainability, and Localized Innovation

  • Smart Design is the Foundation of Efficiency and Scalability
  • Sustainability is No Longer Optional—It’s Strategic
  • Localized Innovation Drives Competitive Advantage
Moderator
Mathew Lambourn

Mathew Lambourn

Technical Director

JAMES L WILLIAMS Middle East

Simon Young

Simon Young

Sub Regional Lead - Energy, Location & Strategy, MEA

Google

Ramy Boufarhat

Ramy Boufarhat

CEO

JAMES L WILLIAMS Middle East

Alistair Davis

Alistair Davis

Director

Black & White Engineering

11:40 - 12:10

PRAYER BREAK & VISIT TO EXHIBITOR LOUNGE

12:10 - 12:40

Panel Discussion

Cloud-Powered Transformation: Redefining Collaboration, Decision-Making, and Competitive Advantage in the Digital Era

  • Balancing Security and Agility: Unlocking Operational Efficiency as a Strategic Advantage
  • Navigating Compliance and Data Localization: Building a Future-Ready Framework
  • Fortifying Cloud Security: Proactive Strategies for a Resilient Digital Future
Moderator
Saleh Malkawi

Saleh Malkawi

Vice President of Sales - Middle East, Turkey, and Central Asia

Uptime Institute

Jamil Barakat

Jamil Barakat

EVP - Business Technology

Riyad Bank

Abdulaziz Alsubki

Abdulaziz Alsubki

Technology Infrastructure & Cloud Services Director

King Abdullah Financial District Development & Management Company (KAFD DMC)

12:40 - 12:50

Building Sovereign AI Cloud Infrastructure for the Gulf's Data Centers: A Practical Guide

  • How to build sovereign, air-gapped AI cloud in local data centers
  • Deploy and manage 140+ AI models with full control
  • Compliance with GCC data laws and national AI mandates
Mihai Marcuta

Mihai Marcuta

Co-Founder & CEO

NodeShift

12:50 - 13:00

Public Cloud Adoption: Secure, Compliant, and Efficient Transformation for Saudi Enterprises

  • Clarifying service models and adoption ambitions to choose SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, or private cloud where they fit best
  • Delivering measurable outcomes with FinOps and a practical roadmap by assessing, piloting, decision, and optimization with clear KPIs
  • Meeting Saudi regulatory requirements (PDPL, NCA CCC-1, CST) with governance, zero-trust security, and resilience built in
Dakheel Almogbil

Dakheel Almogbil

Public Cloud Operations

Aramco

13:00 - 13:30

DCCI SAUDI ARABIA AWARDS

13:30 Onwards

LUNCH BREAK & VISIT TO EXHIBITOR LOUNGE

*The above is a running agenda and is subject to change