Saudi AI Company Humain Launches Construction of First Batch of Data Centers, Plans to Begin Operations in 2026
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Recently, Saudi Arabia's newly established artificial intelligence company Humain announced the official launch of its first batch of domestic data center constructions. These data centers are located in the capital Riyadh and the eastern province of Dammam, with operations expected to commence in early 2026. To meet the data centers' needs, the required semiconductor products will primarily be imported from the United States.
Image source note: The image is AI-generated, licensed by Midjourney.
Humain is backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and was established during former U.S. President Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia in May this year. The company's CEO, Tareq Amin, stated at a related event that each data center's initial capacity could reach 100 megawatts and is expected to be operational by the second quarter of next year. To achieve this goal, Humain has begun procuring semiconductors from U.S. chip manufacturers, including NVIDIA. The company has already received approval from local regulators to purchase 18,000 of NVIDIA's latest AI chips.
Amin noted in an interview that although no specific timeline was provided, this indicates Saudi Arabia is accelerating the import process for AI chips. He mentioned that all procurement processes rely on governance agreements and approvals from the U.S. government, with relevant procedures to be initiated as soon as possible. Trump's visit in May paved the way for Saudi Arabia to access advanced semiconductor resources.
Humain aims to transform Gulf countries into regional AI powerhouses by building data centers, AI infrastructure, and cloud computing capabilities. By 2030, the company plans to add an additional 1.9 gigawatts of data center capacity. Additionally, Amin revealed that Humain is collaborating with AMD to establish a joint venture, with AMD expected to hold equity in a special fund set up in Saudi Arabia. This is part of a $10 billion AI infrastructure construction agreement signed between the two companies.
Prior to this, Humain has also established partnerships with well-known companies such as Qualcomm and Cisco and has held preliminary discussions with xAI, an AI startup founded by Elon Musk, regarding the construction of data centers in Saudi Arabia. These initiatives demonstrate Saudi Arabia's active efforts to advance its development in the AI field and secure a place in the future global market.
Key Highlights:
Saudi AI company Humain has launched the construction of its first batch of data centers, with operations planned to begin in early 2026.
The data centers will import required semiconductors from the U.S. and have received regulatory approval.
Humain has partnered with AMD, Qualcomm, and others to build AI infrastructure.