AUTOMOTIVE-

Homegrown hydrogen mobility firm Hyperview Saudi signed an MoU with DHL Global Forwarding to pilot hydrogen-powered trucks in Jubail, according to a press release. Over three months, the HTO2.1 model will be tested for performance, efficiency, and emissions reduction under real-world conditions. The trial also examines the readiness of local hydrogen refueling infrastructure.

ICYMI- Hyperview announced last February it will establish the Kingdom’s first hydrogen-powered truck factory and the Middle East’s first autonomous driving hardware factory in Jeddah under an MoU signed with the Public Investment Fund. The project will kick off with a USD 50 mn investment for its initial phase and targets to produce 1k hydrogen trucks and 300k self-driving hardware units annually.

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TECH-

Aramco Digital and India’s LTIMindtree have launched a new IT services company in the Kingdom, according to a statement. The joint venture, LTIM Aramco Digital Solutions for Information Technology Company (NextEra), is backed by Aramco’s Namaat Industrial Investments Program and will focus on AI, cloud services, digital engineering, sustainability, and customer-centric solutions.

We knew this was coming: Aramco Digital had a USD 12.3 mn MoU with LTIMindtree back in March to establish the new digital and IT services joint venture.

RETAIL-

NHC + Naver Cloud partner to invest in local super map JV: The National Housing Company’s digital arm NHC innovation and South Korea’s Naver Cloud signed a contract to establish an AI-powered advanced smart city solution joint venture called Naver Innovation, aiming to manage a portfolio exceeding SAR 2 bn, according to a statement.

The details: The JV will initially provide urban planning information, such as flood forecasting and population distribution analysis under a local map service, with plans to develop it into a digital twin app for major cities later on, according to a press release. No investment ticket was disclosed.

REMEMBER- The NHC launched NHC Innovation last January to manage its 10 digital platforms serving 20 mn users and handling 500 mn operations per year, with SAR 250 bn in financial transactions in 2024.

AVIATION-

Saudia signed a two-month wet lease agreement with Filipino airline Cebu Pacific toprovide its budget carrier flyadeal with two Airbus A320 aircraft, complete with pilots, crew, and maintenance during July and August, Reuters reported yesterday, citing a press conference. No ticket was disclosed.

ALSO- The budget airline is planning to operate long-haul routes and expand into Southeast Asia under its partnership with Cebu, tapping work migrants and Haj pilgrims to connect the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia to the GCC, CEO Steven Greenway was quoted as saying by the newswire.

INFRASTRUCTURE-

Egis to supervise Phase 1 of Riyadh integrated logistics project: French engineering firm Egis was appointed as Package Administration and Supervision Consultant for the Riyadh Integrated Special Logistics Zone (SILZ), according to a press release. The firm will oversee the delivery of core infrastructure, including roads, utilities, landscaping, and buildings during Phase 1.

About SILZ: Launched in 2022, SILZ is the Kingdom’s first Special Economic Zone and the national logistics platform program’s inaugural project. It spans over 3 sq km in the vicinity of King Khalid International Airport, aiming to capture some 4.5 mn tons of air freight worth of electronics, medicine, aviation parts, luxury goods, and aircraft components.

MARITIME-

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) added SeaLead’s new RESIN shipping service to Jeddah Islamic Port, it said in a statement. The new service, which has a 1k standard container capacity, will link the Jeddah port with the ports of Nhava Sheva Port in India, Sokhna Port in Egypt, Djibouti Port, and Jebel Ali Port in the UAE.

Mawani by numbers: Ports supervised by Mawani handled 625.4k TEUs in April 2025, up 13.4% y-o-y. The growth was driven by a 22.5% y-o-y jump in imported containers to 259.4k TEUs and an 8% rise in exported containers to 233.8k TEUs.

REGULATION WATCH-

The eligibility age for housing support is now 20 years instead of 25, following the cabinet’s latest updates to the Sakani Program’s regulations, the program said in a post on X.

More details: Requirements for divorced wives and mothers to support housing applications were removed, and the necessary divorce period for eligibility will now be set by executive regulations, eliminating the prior two-year waiting period for divorced mothers.

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