Nvidia’s recent earnings call highlighted a burgeoning player in the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape: **Humain**, a Saudi Arabian startup founded just six months ago. During the call, **Nvidia** CEO **Jensen Huang** emphasized Humain’s rapid ascent in the AI infrastructure sector, alongside major clients such as **Amazon**, **Microsoft**, **Google**, **OpenAI**, **Anthropic**, and **Elon Musk’s xAI**. Huang mentioned Humain not once, but three times, underscoring its significance and ambition.
Founded by Saudi Arabia’s **Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman** and supported by the nation’s $1 trillion **Public Investment Fund**, Humain aims to supply a remarkable **6% of the world’s AI computing power** by **2034**. This goal positions it to become the third-largest AI data center provider globally, following the United States and China.
Huang’s remarks coincided with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s state visit to the U.S. for the first time since 2018, during which Humain announced a groundbreaking collaboration with Nvidia and Amazon. The deal involves deploying **150,000 Nvidia chips**, including the advanced **Grace Blackwell 300** models, in a new “AI Zone” data center being constructed in Riyadh.
Furthermore, Humain has partnered with xAI to establish a **500 megawatt data center** in Saudi Arabia, with Nvidia again supplying the necessary chips. Huang noted, “Because of our deep partnership with Elon and xAI, we were able to bring that opportunity to Saudi Arabia, to the KSA, so that Humain could also be hosting opportunity for xAI.”
See also
Nvidia Boosts AI Chip Outlook, Revives Asian Tech and Chip Stocks by 3%+Under the leadership of former **Aramco** executive **Tareq Amin**, Humain is positioning itself as a **“full stack” AI company**. This approach involves not only managing the data centers necessary for running AI models but also developing AI models themselves. Among its notable achievements is the launch of **ALAM**, a large language model specifically designed to excel in Arabic language tasks while steering clear of sensitive cultural and political topics. Additionally, Humain has introduced an AI-native laptop and an operating system called **Humain One**.
However, Humain’s potential impact lies primarily in its role as an AI infrastructure provider. The company plans to construct data centers that it can lease to other cloud hyperscalers or AI companies. Saudi Arabia’s abundant energy resources, including solar, oil, and gas, along with its streamlined permitting processes, allow Humain to offer AI services at around **30% less** cost compared to similar processing in the U.S. The country also boasts robust fiber optic connectivity with other regions, further enhancing its attractiveness as an AI hub.
Competing for AI Supremacy in the Middle East
Saudi Arabia is not the only nation striving to establish itself as a prominent player in the global AI landscape. The **United Arab Emirates** (UAE) is also pursuing similar ambitions. Its sovereign wealth funds have invested in **G42**, a company that has been developing large data centers for generative AI models since **2018**.
However, G42 has faced scrutiny from U.S. national security officials, who raised concerns about its ties to Chinese firms, leading to delays in acquiring advanced Nvidia chips. Despite a $1.5 billion investment from **Microsoft** in **April 2024** intended to facilitate chip access, G42 has encountered ongoing challenges in securing necessary approvals from the U.S. Commerce Department.
Similar concerns have been directed at Humain, given Saudi Arabia’s defense technology agreements with China. Notably, companies like Aramco have openly acknowledged using AI models developed by Chinese firms, such as DeepSeek. Nevertheless, the Commerce Department recently approved the export of tens of thousands of Nvidia GPUs to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
In a bid to diversify its partnerships, Humain has also signed significant agreements with other chip providers. It secured a **$10 billion deal** with **AMD** to deploy **500 megawatts** of AI computing based on AMD’s chips over the next five years. Moreover, partnerships with **Qualcomm** and AI chip startup **Groq** will enhance its computing capacity even further.
As Humain strives to carve out its niche in the AI landscape, its rapid growth and strategic partnerships may position it as a leading infrastructure provider in the Middle East and beyond, challenging established players in a fiercely competitive environment.
