News

LEAP 2024 Investments Surge To A Historic $11.9 Billion

The funding will focus on emerging technologies, cloud computing, and data centers.

Published

2 years ago

March 5, 2024

leap 2024 investments surge to a historic $11.9 billion

LEAP 2024, recognized as one the world’s leading technology conferences, has revealed a substantial $11.9 billion in investments that will be used to advance deep and emerging technologies, foster innovation, and bolster cloud computing both within Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world.

These investments serve to boost Saudi Arabia’s standing as the largest market in the MENA region and a digital powerhouse that has attracted attention from prominent enterprises such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM, DataVolt, and ServiceNow. A significant portion of the funds will be allocated towards enhancing digital competency within Saudi Arabia and supporting up-and-coming tech startups.

leap 2024 investments

During the inauguration of LEAP 2024’s four-day event at the Riyadh Exhibition & Convention Centre in Malham, H.E. Eng. Abdullah Alswaha, the Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), revealed the unprecedented sum of investments. The event, which will conclude on March 7, is also anticipated by organizers to surpass its own attendance record set in 2023, with over 172,000 visitors.

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Minister Alswaha emphasized the steadfast support from HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to both the Saudi and global tech sectors, aligning with the objectives outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

LEAP 2024 Investment Highlights:

Amazon Web Services: Has announced a $5.3 billion commitment towards establishing a new cloud zone in Saudi Arabia.
Datavolt: Has put forward a $5 billion investment earmarked for new data centers in the Kingdom, boasting a combined capacity exceeding 300 megawatts.
IBM: Plans for a $250 million investment to establish a global software development center within Saudi Arabia.
ServiceNow: Intends to inject $500 million into localizing its regional services in the country and enhancing the skill sets of local talent.

Dell Technologies also announced a new manufacturing and fulfillment center in Saudi Arabia, while Aramco unveiled the Saudi Accelerator Innovation Lab (SAIL), a collaborative effort with MCIT aimed at bolstering the Kingdom’s digital capabilities and further solidifying Saudi Arabia’s position as a thriving digital epicenter.

News

Instagram Redraws Its Wordmark And The Internet Reads “Instagzam”

Instagram’s first wordmark refresh in a decade arrives with new fonts, a restrained gradient — and a Reddit verdict of sidegrade.

Published

4 days ago

August 14, 2026

Nour Nasir

Instagram

Although Instagram’s famous camera icon hasn’t changed, the company has refreshed the handwritten wordmark at the top of its app. This is the first redesign we’ve seen in ten years, and one the internet promptly set about renaming.

“The wordmark at the top of the app hasn’t changed in 10 years, so it was time for a refresh,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote in a post on August 13, describing the new version as “cleaner and more modern” while keeping references to the original design.

Instagram says its team explored hundreds of options — all-caps lettering, camera-inspired concepts, even literal handwriting — before returning to script. “Script reflects individuality, so referencing that felt right,” Instagram director of product design Jasmine Probst said in Meta’s announcement. “The new wordmark is bolder and simpler, with touches of unexpectedness. It cues individual expression, a personal voice, both of which have always been core to Instagram”.

The wordmark is part of a broader brand overhaul: an updated Instagram Sans typeface, two new fonts — the hand-drawn Instagram Pen and Instagram Mono — plus refreshed motion and layouts, and more restrained use of the signature gradient. The wordmark is rolling out globally now, with the rest arriving throughout 2026 and beyond.

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The design mixes cursive and print lettering, some characters connected and others floating free. That hybrid approach, combined with unusually shaped “s” and “r” characters, led some users to conclude the logo actually reads “Instagzam”. On the r/logodesign subreddit, one user said the wordmark looked “fan-made,” like something built in Canva; another called it “an unsettling mix of manuscript and cursive”; a third summarized it as a “sidegrade” — or, inevitably, a “zidegrade”.

Not everyone was hostile to the new look. Some found the half-cursive design stylish and surprisingly readable, while others called it an improvement on its predecessor, and one commenter argued Instagram was simply adopting minimalist branding later than everyone else. Either way, the platform now has a refreshed identity, three updated fonts, and an unofficial new pronunciation.