At the 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, the second day delved into how the convergence of data, technology, and ambition is reshaping the modern world
The second day of the 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII) zeroed in on the age of intelligence, in which data, compute, and ambition are reshaping industries, economies, and the human experience. From AI sovereignty and energy resilience to the rise of patriotic capitalism and the rebirth of tourism, world leaders and CEOs converged on Riyadh to chart the next phase of prosperity.
“Global conversations need calm to decouple prosperity from politics,” said Richard Attias, Chairman of the Executive Committee and Acting CEO of FII Institute, opening the day’s plenary. “This week, we are seeing Saudi Arabia at the center of new global partnerships that redefine what progress means in an age of intelligence.”
The morning sessions ‘Will Compute Become a Global Resource?’ and ‘What Does It Take to Create Intelligence?’ explored AI as the foundation of the next industrial era.
“AI is built on compute, the fourth civilization-level resource, after stone, iron, and oil,” said Jonathan Ross, CEO of Groq, while Aidan Gomez of Cohere highlightedonshoring and data sovereignty as strategic imperatives.
Sarah Friar, CFO of OpenAI, pointed out Saudi Arabia’s growing role: “The Kingdom is an exciting environment for data centers… building, regulating, and powering them faster and better.”
Philip Guido of AMD added that democratizing AI means “everyone’s going to have an opportunity to participate,” as governments and tech leaders invest to make compute capacity globally accessible.
Donald Trump Jr. and Omeed Malik of 1789 Capital declared the return of values-based economics. “We created 1789 Capital to invest in companies strengthening America’s security and prosperity,”Malik said, while Trump Jr. told the audience “Anyone with some intelligence would invest in the Middle East. The opportunities in this region are spectacular.”
The Board of Changemakers: ‘The Energy Trilemma’ brought together leaders from ACWA Power, ENGIE, Octopus Energy, and the U.S. Department of Energy to debate how to meet AI’s surging power needs while maintaining affordability and sustainability.
“There should be no trade-off between cost, sustainability, and resilience, these are interdependent,” said Khalid Al-Ghamdi, CEO of Saudi Electricity Company.
H.E. Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri, Vice Chairman of the National Development Fund, said Saudi funds are becoming more agile than traditional multilaterals: “In a world of disruption, partnerships between national funds and multilaterals are more essential than ever. The MENA region is evolving rapidly, and Saudi Arabia continues to support its neighbors every day.”
In ‘Resilience as the New Corporate Currency’ executives from PIF, EFG Holding, Baker McKenzie, and Moelis & Co. discussed the new definition of corporate resilience.
“Companies have optimized for efficiency, not endurance,” said Rania Nashar of PIF, adding that PIF’s resilience dashboard helps identify early warning signals across its portfolio.
Dr. Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, unveiled the next frontier: “There will be a robot for every person — but first they must become truly functional and manufactured at scale.” He added that AI in robotics will accrue value to people everywhere, without requiring an advanced degree to use one.
Tourism Minister H.E. Ahmed Al-Khateebreaffirmed the sector’s role as a pillar of Vision 2030: “Tourism represents 5% of our GDP; we must double that within five years.” Following which, leaders from Hilton, IHG, Accor, and Riyadh Air agreed that AI is transforming travel but cannot replace the human touch.
Belkasem Khalifa Hifter of Libya’s Reconstruction Fund talked about Libya’s rebuilding and resilience. “Reconstruction is not just engineering, it’s a national commitment to hope.”
H.E. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Chairman of Saudi Aramco and FII Institute, reflected on PIF’s extraordinary transformation. “Back in 2015, PIF’s assets under management were worth around $150 billion. Today, they are almost triple that number, and we aim to reach $1 trillion by the end of this year — we are very close.”
He outlined the fund’s evolution from a nation builder to a nationally aligned investor and asset optimizer: “Our proposal for 2026–2030 focuses on six main ecosystems – travel and tourism, urban development and liveability, advanced manufacturing and innovation, industrial and logistics, clean energy and renewables, and NEOM as its own ecosystem. This will guide our capital priorities and timelines.”
The finale of the day was a special conversation with Syrian President His Excellency Ahmed Al Sharaa who explained how his country had chosen the path of investment over dependency on aid.
In a moving speech (delivered on his birthday) to a packed audience which included His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman he explained how “war entered every home in Syria, I bet on my people, but the people remained steadfast and held onto their principles” before concluding “today is a historic opportunity for investors to start investing in Syria.”
Across technology, energy, and human development, FII9 Day 2 showed a world shifting toward a new equilibrium, where intelligence, ambition, collaboration, and hope become the currencies of progress.
