Saudi to export industrial robots by May

#SaudiArabia #robotics – Public Investment Fund-owned technology manufacturing group Alat, in partnership with Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp., will begin exporting Saudi-made industrial robots by May 2025. The news was shared by Amit Midha, CEO of Alat during the 2025 PIF Private Sector Forum this week. The $150 million joint venture is establishing a fully automated manufacturing and engineering hub in Riyadh, dedicated to producing next-generation industrial robots. The factory, originally planned for December 2024, will serve both domestic and international markets, contributing an estimated $1 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP.

SO WHAT? – Saudi Arabia aims to establish itself as a key player in the global robotics and automation sector. By manufacturing Softbank-design industrial robots locally, the Kingdom will be both empowering its own manufacturing industry and creating cutting-edge technology to boost exports. Saudi Arabia has a clear goal to digitise and automate its entire manufacturing sector to make it efficient, sustainable and globally competitive.

Here are the key facts about Alat’s robotic manufacturing plans:

• Public Investment Fund (PIF)-owned Alat, in partnership with SoftBank Group Corp. will begin exporting Saudi-made industrial robots by May 2025. The robots will be manufactured by the joint-venture formed between Alat and SoftBank.

• The new timeframe was shared by Amit Midha, CEO of Alat during the 2025 PIF Private Sector Forum this week.

• In 2024, Alat and SoftBank announced an investment of $150 million to build a fully automated robotics manufacturing and engineering hub in Riyadh. The hub is expected to add $1 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP.

• The export of Saudi-made industrial robots will be a major milestone for the Kingdom’s technology sector. Alat also has a joint-venture with Lenovo that – according to comments made by the CEO – will manufacture notebook computers, PCs and servers by the end of 2025.

• The robots will leverage SoftBank’s intellectual property and AI-driven automation, enabling self-programming capabilities and boosting manufacturing speed by up to five times.

• The technologies being implemented at the new Saudi robotics plant promise 45% reduction in downtime, 85% decrease in manufacturing errors, and significant energy savings through AI optimisation.

• The industrial robotics facility will be fully powered by renewable energy, aligning with Saudi’s commitment to sustainability and zero-carbon manufacturing.

• By 2035, the government expects 32,000 factories in Saudi Arabia to be operating with leading-edge technology, accelerating industrial automation.

ZOOM OUT – Saudi Arabia’s push into industrial robotics is part of a broader effort to become a global leader in advanced manufacturing. With extensive infrastructure investments and a focus on clean energy, the Kingdom is positioning itself as a hub for next-generation, sustainable industrial automation.