42Maru Saudi AI expansion plans advanced on August 31, 2026, as the South Korean startup joined a bilateral business initiative to deploy enterprise models in the Kingdom. The company joined the K-Tech Service SME and Startup Saudi Partnership Building Support Program, managed by the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) through its Riyadh Global Business Center.
The initiative provides selected technology firms with strategic entry consulting aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, partner matching, localization assistance, and operational base setup in Riyadh. Consequently, the South Korean firm aims to deliver specialized software directly to government entities and industrial firms, according to Businesskorea.
Enterprise Solutions Under 42Maru Saudi AI Strategy
To comply with local regulations, the firm plans to supply its domain-specific lightweight language model LLM42 alongside its retrieval-augmented generation platform RAG42. Both tools operate through on-premise setups and private cloud environments, allowing full functionality within isolated networks that have no external internet connection.
Furthermore, these deployment options meet the data localization requirements established by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) as well as the standards of the National Cybersecurity Authority. In addition, the systems incorporate autonomous agentic workflows designed to handle document review and complex operational tasks across banking, energy, and manufacturing organizations pursuing practical cybersecurity compliance.
Prior Experience and Regional Projects
The current initiative builds upon earlier regional deployments by the South Korean company. In 2024, the startup conducted artificial intelligence consulting for the construction division of the NEOM The Line project in partnership with Naver Cloud.
Moreover, the vendor is actively reviewing potential cooperation with national artificial intelligence platform initiatives linked to the Public Investment Fund (PIF). These efforts focus on combining its machine reading comprehension technology MRC42 and retrieval tools with broader public infrastructure projects across the Kingdom’s economy.
“The Middle East market, including Saudi Arabia, has a policy environment that prioritizes data sovereignty and security, making it a market that structurally aligns with 42Maru, which possesses an on-premise native architecture that operates independently in closed networks.”
Donghwan Kim, CEO of 42Maru
Commercial Outlook and Partner Discovery
Looking ahead, the company will focus on identifying local systems integration partners to bid on enterprise contracts in Riyadh. Specifically, the business will target state-owned petrochemical entities and public ministries that require on-premise software architecture to keep sensitive datasets within national borders.
By utilizing the Riyadh Global Business Center framework, the startup expects to establish formal distribution channels and expand operations across the broader Middle East and North Africa region through specialized artificial intelligence deployments.
