Saudi Vision 2030 Drives SAMI AEC And Lockheed Martin Software Factory In Riyadh

SAMI Advanced Electronics Company (SAMI-AEC) has launched a strategic collaboration with Lockheed Martin to open a new software factory in Riyadh, aiming to speed up the local development of advanced digital solutions and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s command-and-control capabilities within key defence and security domains.

Within the first two weeks of the partnership, Saudi engineers and trainees from SAMI-AEC, working alongside Lockheed Martin teams, created an operational capability that feeds commercial aircraft location data directly into the operational common picture inside Lockheed Martin’s CommandIQ system, demonstrating fast integration and early practical outcomes.

The initiative supports Saudi Arabia’s wider national goals to expand technical expertise and increase operational independence in critical digital areas, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030, while also helping to deepen local industrial content under the Public Investment Fund, which owns Saudi Arabian Military Industries and, in turn, SAMI-AEC.

SAMI-AEC stated that the software factory is designed as a full-cycle development hub, providing facilities for design, coding, rapid prototyping, integration, testing, and deployment, so Saudi working teams can deliver mission-specific software updates more quickly across different operational settings while applying disciplined engineering methods and structured knowledge transfer.

According to information released by SAMI-AEC, the factory is expected to support a modern and resilient digital ecosystem inside the Kingdom by focusing on sustainable national skills, systematic training, and long-term capability building, rather than relying on short-term external support for important digital command-and-control functions.

CEO of SAMI-AEC Ziad Al-Musallam said, "We are proud to collaborate with Lockheed Martin in opening the software factory in Riyadh. This initiative reflects our commitment to developing local capabilities in software and digital solutions and to building a robust environment where Saudi engineers can gain practical, high-impact technical expertise."

The collaboration between SAMI-AEC and Lockheed Martin, under the wider Public Investment Fund framework, highlights Saudi Arabia’s effort to grow local engineering capacity, deliver faster software enhancements, and anchor advanced command-and-control technologies inside the country, with the early capability delivered in the first two weeks marking an initial milestone in 2024 at 12:35 local time, 09:35 GMT.

With inputs from SPA