Riyadh · Fairmont Riyadh (Fairmont Hotel, Riyadh)
Hosted by IDC
A closed-door AI sovereignty roundtable for senior CIOs, CTOs and IT leaders, taking place at Fairmont Riyadh on 16 November 2026. Hosted by IDC and AMD in Riyadh, this executive dinner explores how Saudi organisations can retain control over their AI infrastructure while meeting performance, governance and regulatory requirements. The discussion is grounded in IDC research, regional deployment models and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions. What to expect The evening combines two keynotes, a panel discussion and structured networking: - IDC keynote: Shahin Hashim, Associate Research Director (META), presents current data on sovereign AI infrastructure adoption in Saudi Arabia. - AMD keynote: Zaid Ghattas, General Manager – METAP, examines open, full-stack AI compute from silicon to software and the route to scale without proprietary lock-in. - Panel discussion: A practical look beyond data residency at what sovereignty requires from infrastructure and governance. - Dinner and networking: Conversation with fellow technology leaders follows the formal programme. Attendees will explore frameworks for evaluating open AI architectures, lessons from the HUMAIN sovereign AI model, and how to sequence infrastructure investment alongside Personal Data Protection Law and NCA requirements. Registration opens at 6:00pm, with sessions beginning at 6:30pm and dinner at 8:00pm. The venue is the Dammam Meeting Room, Mezzanine Floor, Fairmont Hotel Riyadh (map). Register for the IDC and AMD Dinner Roundtable
Sponsors: AMD
