Global investment leaders highlight Kuwait’s role as regional hub for Technology, Energy & AI
A select group of international business leaders affirmed that Kuwait offers significant investment opportunities in technology, energy, and artificial intelligence, positioning the country to become a regional and global investment hub.
The remarks came during a high-level panel discussion on attracting direct investment to Kuwait, held on the sidelines of the Kuwait Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition (KOGS) under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Sabah.
The session was chaired by Sheikh Dr. Meshaal Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Director General of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), and included top executives such as Naeem Yazbeck (President, Microsoft Middle East & Africa), Joseph Anis (President & CEO, Energy & Gas – EMEA at GE Vernova), and Charles Hetmel (Head of Global Financial & Strategic Investors Group, BlackRock), reports Al-Rai daily.
Sheikh Al-Jaber stressed that the positive messages during the panel reflect real and tangible investment interest on the ground. He emphasized that global companies are entering Kuwait for legitimate investment reasons, not courtesy or charity, and highlighted their expanding engagement with the Kuwaiti private sector as evidence of the country’s attractive investment environment.
Under Kuwait Vision 2035, the government aims to foster win-win partnerships between the public and private sectors, shifting its role from operator to regulator and facilitator, with SMEs and private enterprise as the engine of the national economy. The event reportedly drew 5,000–6,000 participants, reflecting growing global confidence in Kuwait’s economic prospects.
Participants highlighted Kuwait’s strategic assets, including its location linking over one billion people, advanced digital infrastructure, abundant energy resources for data centers, a young population (about 67% under age 35), and strong entrepreneurial energy.
They also pledged to hire and train national talent, launch skills development programs, and enable Kuwaitis to contribute to global projects from within the country.
BlackRock’s Charles Hetmel noted the firm’s more than 50-year relationship with Kuwait, pointing out the Kuwait Investment Authority as one of its largest shareholders, underlining a deep strategic partnership that extends globally.
He praised recent economic reforms, saying initiatives like Kuwait Vision 2035 and capital markets reforms have improved market structure, transparency, and global investor confidence.
Hetmel announced the launch of a $100 billion investment fund with BlackRock, Microsoft, KDIPA and GE Vernova to develop data centers and energy projects supporting AI infrastructure worldwide.
Microsoft’s Naeem Yazbeck outlined major investment plans in Kuwait around four pillars, including building long-term AI infrastructure with data centers, promoting AI adoption in public and private sectors, launching national training programs, and establishing an AI innovation center with local partners.
He predicted 2026 as the year AI moves from experimentation to real application, with AI potentially contributing around 15% of global GDP by 2030.
GE Vernova’s Joseph Anis said the company is building a regional tool and service center in Kuwait, focusing on local supply chains, partnerships with universities, and hiring Kuwaiti engineers for global energy projects.
He highlighted that global electricity demand is set to double over the next decade, with 30–40% of GE Vernova’s orders now AI-driven, and noted that energy investment now exceeds oil and gas for the first time as the energy transition accelerates.
