Equipped with the Cisco Secure AI Factory and NVIDIA accelerated computing, the new Riyadh-based hub empowers organizations across the Middle East and Africa to transition from AI experimentation to secure, production-ready implementation in alignment with Vision 2030.
NTT DATA is bridging the gap between artificial intelligence experimentation and enterprise-grade execution with the upcoming launch of its AI Factory Lab in Riyadh, scheduled to open this September. Designed to serve public and private sector organizations across the Middle East and Africa, the facility addresses a core operational hurdle for modern enterprises: moving past proofs-of-concept into secure, scalable production.
While enthusiasm for generative and agentic AI remains high, many leadership teams struggle to translate initial exploration into tangible business outcomes. The Riyadh lab tackles this challenge head-on by combining NTT DATA’s full-stack consulting and digital services expertise with top-tier technology infrastructure from ecosystem partners Cisco and NVIDIA.
“While interest in AI continues to grow, many organizations are looking for a practical path from experimentation to business outcomes,” noted Hani Nofal, Executive Head of Infrastructure Solutions in Middle East and Africa at NTT DATA. “The AI Factory Lab brings together the expertise, technologies and ecosystem partnerships needed to help clients identify the right use cases, deploy AI securely and scale with confidence.”
Located in Saudi Arabia’s premier business and innovation hub, the facility aligns closely with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 ambitions by fostering advanced technology adoption that drives productivity, digital resilience, and economic diversification.
The lab’s interactive environment is structured to support executive briefings, strategic workshops, and hands-on demonstrations across several critical operational domains:
- Employee productivity and intelligent operations
- Customer experience and agentic AI workflow automation
- Cybersecurity, networking, and software development
- Industry-specific business processes
A centerpiece of the lab’s technical architecture is the integration of the Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA. This foundational environment allows enterprises to test and validate workloads within a secure, validated sandbox before committing to full-scale deployment.
- Cisco Infrastructure: Delivers enterprise-grade networking, security, observability, and collaboration layers required to maintain visibility, compliance, and operational control.
- NVIDIA Accelerated Computing: Powers the underlying AI software technologies, accelerating generative AI, agentic workflows, computer vision, and digital twin implementations.
“In the race to adopt AI, organizations need more than just technology—they need a foundation of absolute trust and control,” said Cassie Roach, VP of Partner Sales, AI Infrastructure & Connectivity at Cisco. “By integrating the Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA into their AI Factory Lab, NTT DATA provides a secure, validated sandbox where customers can test, refine and prove their AI strategies with confidence before making a full-scale commitment.”
Dirk Barfuss, Director of EMEA channel at NVIDIA, echoed the sentiment: “Organizations across the Middle East and Africa are moving from AI exploration to production, and NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI software provide the foundation to build, and scale secure AI workloads. Through the NTT DATA AI Factory Lab in Riyadh, customers can experience the Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA firsthand.”
The launch of the Riyadh facility forms an integral part of NTT DATA’s global strategy to champion responsible, secure, and effective AI deployment. By offering a controlled environment to evaluate risk, compliance, and performance, the lab equips regional leaders to transform AI potential into measurable business value.
