Saudi Arabia’s top telecom operator, Saudi Telecom, has teamed up with state-backed AI developer Humain to launch a joint venture focused on AI data centers in the kingdom.
The venture will build infrastructure with a total operational capacity of up to 1 gigawatt, starting with an initial 250-megawatt phase, according to a regulatory filing. Humain will hold a 51% stake, with Saudi Telecom owning the remainder.
Founded in May, Humain is at the forefront of Saudi Arabia’s push to become a global AI hub and reduce its reliance on oil. Backed by the Public Investment Fund, the company has already inked deals with Elon Musk’s xAI and Blackstone-backed AirTrunk, and recently announced a separate JV with AMD and Cisco to boost AI computing power.
📌 Why it matters: The venture signals Saudi Arabia’s push to establish itself as a major player in AI infrastructure and cloud computing, a key step in its economic diversification strategy.
📌 Bottom line: With Saudi Telecom and Humain joining forces, Saudi Arabia moves closer to operationalizing gigawatt-scale AI data centers to support domestic and regional computing demand.
