market intelligence company Context, in its latest monthly analysis across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region, highlights robust IT distribution sales growth in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, continued pressure in Turkey, and surging demand for AI-capable notebooks across the region.
The latest Context META report reveals that the UAE continues to set the pace for regional IT growth, maintaining a strong upward trajectory in both volume and value sales through April 2025.
All major product categories, from desktops and smartphones to servers and security software, have seen consistent gains, reinforcing the country’s position as a digital transformation leader in the region.
Saudi Arabia also recorded notable growth, particularly in notebooks and servers. The country’s tech ecosystem received a further boost with a landmark $10-billion partnership between AMD and new AI venture Humain to build the world’s most open and scalable AI infrastructure.
In contrast, Turkey faces a more complex market outlook. Although volume sales remain higher than in previous years, value growth has stalled amid high inflation and currency volatility. Recent political developments and regional instability continue to impact sentiment, although the country’s digitalisation agenda and large domestic market still offer long-term potential.
“Regional dynamics across the Middle East and Africa are evolving fast,” says Mohamed Laher, regional director and enterprise analyst at Context. “While the UAE and Saudi Arabia are benefiting from large-scale digital investments and stable infrastructure, Turkey’s market remains sensitive to macroeconomic and political shifts. At the same time, the rise of AI-capable devices is reshaping procurement strategies across the board.”
Across the wider region, the transition to AI-capable chipsets in notebooks is accelerating rapidly. By April 2025, 22% of all notebooks sold in the region featured an NPU (Neural Processing Unit), up from just 8% at the start of 2024. This trend, combined with the upcoming Windows 10 end-of-support in October, is expected to drive further PC refresh cycles in the months ahead.