Cybersecurity spending across the Gulf is set to more than double by 2030, crossing a massive Dh120 billion, as artificial intelligence, sovereign cloud initiatives, and hyper-scale data centres reshape the region’s digital future, according to a new Grand View Research report.

The study, Cyber Resilience in the Gulf: Where Technology Meets Sovereign Risk (2025 Edition), points to rapid digital transformation in the UAE and Saudi Arabia as the biggest driver of this growth. 

With mega-investments going into national data centres, AI clusters, and cloud corridors, countries are now prioritising not just technology adoption but long-term sovereign resilience.

“Cyber resilience is no longer just an IT function; it’s becoming a national capability,” said Swayam Dash, Managing Director at Grand View Research. 

“It now influences how nations attract investment, maintain trust, and sustain growth.”

UAE-Saudi Lead the Charge

Together, the two countries account for more than 60 per cent of cybersecurity spending in the Gulf.

• In the UAE, investments are flowing into AI-driven threat intelligence, zero-trust models, and sovereign cloud ecosystems under the Cybersecurity Strategy 2025–31.
• Saudi Arabia, under Vision 2030, is embedding cyber readiness across large-scale industrial, financial, and infrastructure projects led by its National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) and SDAIA.

From Firewalls to Full Frameworks

The report highlights a major shift in the region’s cybersecurity mindset, from protecting networks to institutionalising resilience. 

Key milestones include:

• ADGM’s Cyber Risk Management Framework
• Saudi Central Bank’s cyber stress-testing regime
• Cross-border CERT intelligence sharing across GCC nations

Dash says this unified approach is the Gulf’s “biggest advantage,” enabling nations to move together on cybersecurity, business continuity, and defence.

AI Takes Centre Stage

AI-driven cybersecurity is the fastest-growing segment:

• UAE’s AI cyber market will surge from Dh4.4 billion to Dh19.7 billion by 2030.
• Saudi Arabia is expected to jump from Dh4.59 billion to Dh16.47 billion in the same period.

The region is also investing heavily in local talent, with the Middle East & Africa cybersecurity training market set to reach Dh4.99 billion by 2030.

As digital infrastructure becomes the backbone of economic transformation, industry experts say cybersecurity is becoming a new economic benchmark, and increasingly, a sign of sovereign strength.