The Norwegian data software company now run by Girish Rishi, the former CEO of Scottsdale logistics company Blue Yonder, is teaming up with a Saudi firm to support digital transformation of energy and industrial clients.
Saudi Aramco and Cognite AS, where Rishi took the helm as CEO in April, have launched a joint venture dubbed CNTXT headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the companies announced June 19. CNTXT will work to support digitalization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and across the broader Middle East and North African region.
The CNTXT is led by CEO Abdullah Jarwan and a management team of local and international employees. Rishi said Cognite is contributing team members for the joint venture. CNTXT will act as the exclusive reseller of Cognite's data operations platform, Cognite Data Fusion, within the Middle East and North African region. CNTXT has also partnered with Google Cloud as a reseller of cloud software services within Saudi Arabia.
"The untapped potential in the digital transformation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the greater Middle East is enormous," Jarwan said. "With Google Cloud and Cognite offerings in our portfolio, we can help the public and private sectors innovate faster, scale [artificial intelligence]-driven solutions and turn data into value."
A partnership between Cognite and Aramco began in 2019, when Cognite majority owner Aker ASA and Aramco signed a memorandum of understanding to develop digitalization and sustainability initiatives for industrial companies within Saudi Arabia. The CNTXT joint venture will build upon that partnership to assist public and private companies with optimizing and securing their data infrastructures.
Cognite provides structured and contextualized data for industrial applications, and much of its business is focused on oil and gas companies that could use software to keep tabs on operations. In 2019, Cognite selected Houston and Austin to serve as its North American dual headquarters. Both Texas offices continue to be growth areas for the data technology company's workforce and customer base, Rishi said.
"We've obviously partnered with Google and Microsoft and other partners like Accenture, who are present there," Rishi said. "But also the end users — the oil and gas energy sector customers — are there."
Rishi, who is based in Phoenix, has previously said Cognite eventually expects to set up an office in Phoenix as well.
Rishi succeeded Cognite co-founder John Markus Lervik, who transitioned to the company’s chief strategy and development officer. Rishi’s previous logistics software company Blue Yonder was acquired by Panasonic Corp. last year. Rishi stepped down from Blue Yonder in February after five years with that company.
In April Rishi was the inaugural guest in the Phoenix Business Journal’s Meet the C-Suite series, where he described himself as an “accidental technologist” as he told the story of his development into one of the country’s most respected technology and business leaders.
Although Saudi Aramco is based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, its Aramco Americas office is in downtown Houston.
The Phoenix Business Journal contributed to this story.
