Saudi Arabia Targets Third Global AI Powerhouse Position, Driven by Humain and Oil Wealth

Kingdom Leverages Oil Revenues for AI Dominance

Saudi Arabia is making a significant push to establish itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence, channeling substantial oil revenues into an ambitious national strategy. This initiative is spearheaded by the domestic tech firm Humain, with the explicit goal of positioning the Kingdom as the world's third-largest AI power, trailing only the United States and China.

The move is a core component of Saudi Vision 2030, a broader plan to diversify the economy away from its traditional reliance on oil. The state-backed company Humain, established under the nearly $1 trillion Public Investment Fund (PIF), is at the forefront of this transformation.

Humain: The Engine of Saudi AI Ambition

Humain was officially launched in May 2025 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with Tareq Amin serving as its Chief Executive Officer. The company is designed to be a comprehensive, 'full-stack' AI ecosystem, encompassing a wide range of capabilities:

• Next-generation data centers and cloud infrastructure
• Advanced AI models, including a multimodal Arabic large language model (LLM)
• Development of real-world AI solutions across various industries

Tareq Amin has articulated the Kingdom's bold ambition, stating, 'Our ambition is very clear. We want to be the third-largest AI provider in the world, behind the United States and China.'

Massive Investments and Strategic Partnerships

The financial commitment to this AI endeavor is substantial. Saudi Arabia has announced a $40 billion investment in artificial intelligence and digital transformation. Specifically for Humain, there is a $33 billion commitment, comprising $23 billion for technology partnerships and a $10 billion venture fund dedicated to AI startups.

A key focus is the development of robust infrastructure. Humain plans to build up to 6 gigawatts of data center capacity across the nation by 2034. This includes a significant $3 billion agreement with Blackstone (AirTrunk) for data center construction. Furthermore, Humain is investing in 'AI factories' with a projected capacity of up to 500 megawatts, powered by advanced NVIDIA GPUs over the next five years.

Strategic alliances are crucial to this rapid expansion. Humain is collaborating with leading global technology firms such as Nvidia, Amazon Web Services, AMD, Qualcomm, and Cisco. The company has also introduced 'Humain One,' an AI operating system that utilizes voice and text commands, which is already being used internally to streamline operations like HR and finance.

Competitive Edge and National Strategy

Tareq Amin emphasizes Saudi Arabia's unique competitive advantage: its abundant and inexpensive energy supply. This resource is critical for powering the energy-intensive AI data centers, offering a significant cost and time advantage.

The overarching framework for these efforts is the National Strategy for Data and AI (NSDAI), launched in October 2020 by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). The NSDAI aims for Saudi Arabia to be among the top 15 countries in AI by 2030 and to attract over $20 billion in AI investments. Additionally, the Kingdom's Future Skills initiative is set to train 20,000 AI specialists by 2030, ensuring a skilled local workforce to support these ambitious goals.