Humain and the New Frontiers of Saudi Arabia’s AI Power
Saudi Arabia has officially entered into the AI race. On 12th May 2025, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PIF announced the launch of Humain, a new state-backed AI company under the Public Investment Fund (PIF). With this, the country has made it clear that they want a seat at the table of global AI governance and innovation.
Humain represents a calculated move within the Kingdom’s broader digital transformation agenda. This comes simultaneously with their plans of building the world’s largest AI inference data centre to the development of a homegrown multimodal Arabic large language model (LLM).
Mere days after its launch, Humain also secured a strategic $5 billion partnership with AWS, further reinforcing the company’s ambitions and bidding on the Kingdom’s long-term influence in a rapidly evolving global AI order.
What is Humain, and Why Now?
At its core, Humain is being positioned as the Kingdom’s central engine for AI development. Backed by the Public Investment Fund’s massive $940 billion in capital, the company is set to focus on building the full stack - advanced infrastructure, cloud services, next-generation data centres, and its own suite of AI models.
One of its most ambitious goals is the creation of a multimodal Arabic large language model (LLM). On the surface, it addresses the region’s linguistic and cultural gaps in existing AI tools. But more broadly, it signals a move toward digital sovereignty - a chance for Saudi Arabia to own and shape the tools it relies on, rather than depend on Western-built systems.
With global supply chains in flux, compute power concentrated in a few hands, and data emerging as a geopolitical asset, the timing is telling. Humain feels like a direct response to the growing hegemony of global tech leadership.
Beyond Infrastructure, What Sets Humain Apart?
While many governments are investing in AI, few are attempting the level of vertical integration Humain aspires to. Instead of just enabling AI use, the Kingdom aims to own the entire stack, including chips, data centres, models, and applications.
By teaming up with US chip innovators like Groq and Cerebras, and working with Aramco Digital to build what’s set to be the world’s largest AI inference data centre, Humain is laying the groundwork for full-spectrum AI capability.
Crucially, the Humain-AWS partnership and their $5 billion agreement is expected to fast-track AI adoption in Saudi Arabia while also serving international users, particularly in the Middle East. This balance of local-first innovation with global partnership gives Humain a uniquely hybrid identity.
AI as Economic Hedge - Vision 2030 and the Bigger Picture
Humain might appear as a standalone initiative but on closer look, it’s a pillar of Vision 2030 - the Kingdom’s plan to diversify away from oil. In this context, AI is not just a technology but an economic hedge.
With the launch, Saudi Arabia is also betting big. Its data centre market is projected to grow from $1.3 billion in 2024 to nearly $4 billion by 2030, driven by infrastructure investments tied to Humain and related digital initiatives.
Talent development is high on the agenda too. By anchoring its AI ecosystem locally, Saudi Arabia hopes to reverse brain drain and nurture a generation of homegrown tech talent, aligned with its long-term national goals.
The Rise of a Third AI Power
For years, the AI race has been framed as a duopoly - US vs China. But Saudi Arabia is steadily making a case for a third power bloc: one built on sovereign wealth, international alliances, and bold centralised vision.
The recent Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, which brought together tech heavyweights like Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Mark Zuckerberg was not just a networking exercise. Rather than being a beneficiary, Saudi Arabia wants to be a convener of AI leadership.
Its alignment with both American and regional players gives it diplomatic flexibility, while its financial muscle and long-term planning distinguish it from most fast-moving but fragmented efforts in the West.
Not Just Another AI Company
Hundreds of AI companies are launched globally every single day. But Saudi is using Humain as a very well thought-out strategic lever. By investing heavily in foundational AI technologies, local infrastructure, and regional models, the Kingdom is staking its claim in the future of global tech.
In doing so, it is worthy to note that it is also rewriting the playbook: one where state-backed innovation, regional focus, and international collaboration aren’t mutually exclusive, but synergistic. One where technology is not just a hegemonically offered benefit by the West.
