IFS advances industrial AI adoption in Saudi Arabia

Mohammad Saddeh, Country Sales Leader, Saudi Arabia, IFS, discusses the company’s partnership with Microsoft, investment in the Kingdom, and approach to embedding AI within asset-intensive operations.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is accelerating technology investment across asset-intensive sectors, creating growing demand for AI-powered operational systems that improve productivity, resilience and service delivery. IFS is strengthening its presence in the Kingdom by investing in local capabilities, developing its Saudi partner ecosystem and building deeper customer relationships. In an interview with TahawulTech.com at LEAP 2026, Mohammad Saddeh, Country Sales Leader, Saudi Arabia, IFS, discusses the company’s collaboration with Microsoft, the role of industrial AI across critical industries and how organisations can transition from traditional infrastructure to AI-powered operations by prioritising measurable business outcomes.

Interview excerpts

Could you elaborate on IFS’ participation at LEAP 2026, particularly through its partnership with Microsoft?
LEAP is a strategic event and an important platform for IFS because it brings together the technology ecosystem, customers and decision-makers shaping Saudi Arabia’s technology vision. Our participation also reflects the strength of our ecosystem and relationship with Microsoft. IFS brings deep industry capabilities across areas such as asset lifecycle management, field service management, manufacturing and complex industrial operations. Microsoft provides the cloud infrastructure required to support these solutions, enabling customers to benefit from the combined strengths of both companies.

Where does Saudi Arabia fit into IFS’ broader Middle East strategy, and what investments are you making in the Kingdom?
Saudi Arabia is a strategic growth market for IFS, not only regionally but globally. Vision 2030 is driving transformation at scale, aligning closely with our strengths across asset-intensive and service-centric industries. Our strategy is centred on establishing a sustainable, long-term presence in the Kingdom. We are investing in our local organisation and capabilities, developing a strong Saudi partner ecosystem, collaborating with strategic technology partners and strengthening relationships with major customers across our core industries. Our objective extends beyond selling technology.

“We want to partner with customers throughout their digital transformation journeys and help translate technology investments into tangible business outcomes.”

How is IFS integrating AI across asset lifecycle management, field service management and other industrial operations?
Our approach is to embed industrial AI directly into operational workflows, where critical decisions are made by people. In asset-intensive environments, AI can help organisations assess asset conditions, predict potential failures, optimise maintenance schedules and make better decisions throughout the asset lifecycle. In field service operations, it can help determine which technician should be dispatched, the skills and spare parts required, and the right time to complete the work. This can improve service-level performance, reduce costs, and strengthen margins. The strength of our approach lies in combining AI capabilities with deep industrial expertise and proprietary industry data models. The objective is to improve asset availability, increase workforce productivity, reduce costs and deliver better service outcomes.

Which sectors in Saudi Arabia could benefit most from industrial AI?
Saudi Arabia is particularly well positioned to benefit from industrial AI because much of the transformation under Vision 2030 involves asset-intensive industries and infrastructure. We see significant opportunities across energy and utilities, manufacturing, telecommunications, infrastructure, construction and engineering. Organisations in these sectors manage complex assets at scale, and we are seeing strong demand for technologies that can improve operational performance, resilience and decision-making.

How can organisations transition from traditional industrial infrastructure to AI-powered operations while remaining resilient?
Organisations should begin by defining the business outcome they want to achieve rather than treating AI as an objective in itself. In an industrial context, the desired outcome could be improving asset availability, reducing unplanned downtime or increasing technician productivity. The next requirement is the right operational data model, industry context and workflows. AI capabilities can be combined with these foundations and delivered to frontline employees and other decision-makers within their daily operational environment. This connected approach allows organisations to transition progressively from traditional processes to AI-powered operations. IFS supports this journey by combining AI capabilities, industry expertise and operational workflows designed for asset-intensive sectors.