HUMAIN: From the Saudi Market to The End of Limits

In an ambitious move reflecting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to lead the technological future, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced the launch of HUMAIN, the national artificial intelligence arm, on May 12, 2025. This announcement comes in a globally competitive context, as nations strive to harness AI as a driver of economic growth and innovation. With investments exceeding $15 billion from tech giants such as AWS, NVIDIA, and AMD, HUMAIN positions the Kingdom at the forefront of the technological race, affirming its commitment to building a digital future that enhances technological sovereignty and serves humanity. 

What is HUMAIN? 

Launched on May 12, 2025, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, HUMAIN aims to establish the Kingdom as a global AI hub by developing advanced AI models, including one of the world’s most advanced Arabic multimodal large language models (LLMs), next-generation data centers, and cloud infrastructure. The company is led by CEO Tareq Amin, formerly of Aramco Digital and Rakuten, and has recruited employees from other government projects such as the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and Tonomous. 

HUMAIN’s Digital Solutions 

HUMAIN seeks to deliver comprehensive AI solutions, including:   

• Advanced Data Centers: On May 13, 2025, HUMAIN announced a historic deal with NVIDIA to build AI factories in Saudi Arabia, with a projected capacity of up to 500 megawatts, powered by hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA’s advanced GPUs over five years. The first phase includes deploying an 18,000-megawatt NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell AI supercomputer with InfiniBand networking. HUMAIN will also use NVIDIA’s Omniverse Cloud platform for simulating and testing physical AI solutions, supporting sectors like manufacturing and energy. This partnership aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 for economic diversification. 

  
  

• Intelligent Infrastructure: HUMAIN and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) announced a $10 billion agreement to deploy 500 megawatts of AI infrastructure over five years. AMD will provide chips and its open-source ROCm software ecosystem, while HUMAIN will manage data centers, sustainable power systems, and global fiber optic networks. The agreement aims to create an open, scalable, and cost-effective AI infrastructure. 

  
  

• Cloud Services: Grok provides its CPU-based AI inference infrastructure (LPU), supporting HUMAIN’s platform by enabling fast processing of open models like Llama, Mixtral, and Whisper.   

  
  

• Hybrid AI Solutions: Announced at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, a strategic partnership with Qualcomm enhances next-generation performance, delivering seamless hybrid AI that supports efficient computing across all layers.

  
  

• ALLaM Model: The first Arabic language model that respects cultural values, linguistic nuances, and excels in understanding local context. 

  
  

• Smart Applications: For sectors such as smart cities, energy, healthcare, and more.     

AI in Saudi Vision 2030 

AI is a cornerstone of Vision 2030, which aims to transform Saudi Arabia into a global hub for technology and innovation. Through HUMAIN, the Kingdom supports the National Strategy for Data and AI (NSDAI), targeting $135 billion in economic value by 2030 and creating 25,000 tech jobs through the following contributions:   

• Creating thousands of specialized jobs in fields like AI development, data analytics, and cloud engineering. HUMAIN’s training programs with AWS and NVIDIA will enhance local skills.   

  
  

• Deals worth $15 billion with AMD, AWS, and Qualcomm, alongside a $100 million AI investment fund with Google and STV, draw global capital.   

HUMAIN’s Opportunities for the Saudi Market 

HUMAIN offers unprecedented opportunities for Saudi Arabia’s private sector. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and HUMAIN announced an investment of over $5 billion to build an “AI Zone” in the Kingdom. This collaboration will leverage AWS technologies, including Amazon Q, to develop AI solutions for startups, enterprises, and government entities, accelerating the global adoption of generative AI.   

In this context, Steady Pace Consultancy provides market research and in-depth studies of the Saudi market, offering consultations for companies and brands to keep pace with this historic achievement and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Its diverse digital solutions, notably BSure, the first Arabic survey platform, provide ready-to-use templates for polls and surveys to measure customer opinions and recommendations, empowering companies and brands to confidently navigate the Saudi and global markets. 

In the end, The launch of HUMAIN marks a turning point in Saudi Arabia’s journey toward technological leadership. With massive investments, global partnerships, and a focus on Arabic AI, the Kingdom is poised to lead the next phase of digital transformation. Additionally, government sector achievements will enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global data hub.