The Role of Cloud Computing in the Growth of the Digital Economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This study intended to address the role of cloud computing in the growth of the digital economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It reviewed previous studies that dealt with cloud computing, pointing out the concept of cloud computing and its characteristics, the types of cloud computing and its benefits, and study the basic components of the application of cloud computing and its risks. The study also discussed the reality of cloud computing in Saudi Arabia, and its role in the growth of the digital economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, using the deductive approach and the descriptive approach. The study revealed numerous results, the most important of which is that the contribution of cloud computing to the growth of the digital economy appeared in many sectors and fields. For example, in the tourism sector, when the electronic tourist visa was launched in 2019, where more than 440,000 tourist visas were issued until March 2020 to approximately 50 countries, making the tourism sector in the Kingdom the fastest growing in the world by registering a growth of 14%, and its contribution to the Saudi economy reached 9.5%. The results also showed that the Korona pandemic contributed to increasing the pace of trend towards digital transformation, as cloud computing became an essential enabler of access to a range of educational, health, religious and security services, which made it play an important and great role in the growth of e-government and the digital economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.