Saudi Arabia pools billions for AI: Nvidia and Amazon on board!

Saudi Arabia pools billions for AI: Nvidia and Amazon on board!

Saudi Arabia announces the creation of a new state-owned company called Humain that will focus on a comprehensive artificial intelligence data center project. This approach is financed by the Kingdom’s “Public Investment Fund”. The aim is to pool all existing billion-dollar AI investments under a central holding association headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This initiative was unveiled during an important visit by US President Donald Trump, underscoring the strategic cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US.

The founding of Humain is intended to set a milestone in AI development. The aim is to establish data centers with a total output of 1.9 gigawatts by 2030, including special “AI factories” with a capacity of 500 megawatts. The development of cloud functions and Arabic versions of popular language models for generative AI is also planned.

Technological partnerships and investments

In order to realize the ambitious project, Saudi Arabia has already brought major technology providers on board. Companies like Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. will play a central role. Nvidia plans to ship “several hundred thousand” state-of-the-art processors, including 18,000 GB300 Grace Blackwell products as well as InfiniBand networking technology. AMD will also provide chips and software, although it has a smaller market share in accelerator chips.

Another major company, Amazon, has announced that it will invest $10 billion in data centers in Saudi Arabia. The collaboration extends to the USA, which reinforces the international dimension of the project.

New framework conditions for US technology providers

A major change facilitating technological exchanges is the lifting of export restrictions on U.S. cutting-edge technology to Saudi Arabia, effective May 13, 2025. This previously made it considerably more difficult to sell technologies to Saudi companies. With the new regulation, US technology providers now have the opportunity to expand their customer base in the AI ​​accelerator sector. This opens up additional business opportunities, particularly with regard to government contracts.

The Saudi government also requires that personal and financial data be stored in the country, encouraging international companies to set up offices in the kingdom.

Further expansion plans

AI investment plans in Saudi Arabia extend beyond Humain. Companies such as Google and Oracle have also announced expansion plans for 2024, further increasing the attractiveness of the Saudi market for technology providers. All of these developments show that Saudi Arabia is committed to taking a leading role in artificial intelligence and having a long-term presence in the global technology landscape.