NVIDIA, AMD Boost Saudi Arabia's AI Ambitions with Billion-Dollar Buildout

HUMAIN, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has entered into strategic partnerships with both NVIDIA and AMD to construct AI data centers with a combined capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) over the next five years.

NVIDIA's collaboration involves supplying several hundred thousand of its advanced GPUs to power AI factories in Saudi Arabia. The first phase includes deploying an 18,000-unit Grace Blackwell GB200 supercomputer, utilizing NVIDIA's InfiniBand networking technology. These hyperscale AI data centers are designed to provide a secure foundation for training and deploying sovereign AI models at scale, enabling industries across Saudi Arabia and worldwide to accelerate innovation and digital transformation.

Simultaneously, AMD has committed to a $10 billion investment with HUMAIN to deploy 500 MW of AI compute capacity over five years. This initiative will utilize AMD's range of technologies, including Instinct GPUs, EPYC CPUs, and the ROCm open software ecosystem. The AI superstructure built by AMD and HUMAIN will be open by design, accessible at scale, and optimized to power AI workloads across enterprise, startup, and sovereign markets.

A central component of these partnerships is the emphasis on developing local AI talent. HUMAIN and NVIDIA plan to collaborate on large-scale upskilling and training initiatives, providing thousands of Saudi citizens and developers with hands-on experience in advanced AI, simulation, robotics, and digital twin technologies. This effort aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals of economic diversification and digital leadership.

Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN, stated, "Our partnership with NVIDIA is a bold step forward in realizing the Kingdom’s ambitions to lead in AI and advanced digital infrastructure. Together, we are building the capacity, capability, and a new globally enabled community to shape a future powered by intelligent technology and empowered people."

Beyond the initial deployments, HUMAIN has unveiled plans to establish 1.9 gigawatts (GW) of data center capacity by 2030, with an ambitious target of 6.6 GW by 2034. This expansive infrastructure aims to process 7% of the global AI training and inferencing market within six years, positioning Saudi Arabia as a central player in the global AI landscape.

The partnerships with NVIDIA and AMD are part of a broader strategy by HUMAIN to collaborate with leading technology companies. Additional agreements include a $2 billion partnership with Qualcomm to build a chipset design center in Riyadh, employing 500 engineers, and discussions with major U.S. players such as OpenAI, xAI, and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz about potential equity partnerships.

These developments coincide with a shift in U.S. export policies, as the Trump administration recently revoked a Biden-era regulation restricting AI chip sales to countries such as Saudi Arabia. This policy change facilitates the procurement of advanced semiconductors by Saudi Arabia, enabling the Kingdom to accelerate its AI initiatives.

The strategic collaborations between Saudi Arabia and U.S. tech firms underscore a mutual interest in advancing AI capabilities while diversifying economic dependencies. For Saudi Arabia, these partnerships represent a significant step toward transforming its economy and establishing itself as a global technology hub.

As the Kingdom continues to invest heavily in AI infrastructure and talent development, the relocation of NVIDIA and AMD teams to Saudi Arabia marks a pivotal moment in the nation's journey toward technological leadership and economic diversification.