Saudi Arabia has entered a new partnership with U.S. chipmaker Nvidia, in a project aimed at transforming the nation into a “global powerhouse” in AI.
Under the collaboration, the partners will look to build a network of AI factories to support digital infrastructure for the region’s future economy, with projects spanning automation tools including cloud computing, digital twins and robotics.
Humain, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund with a particular focus on AI, will spearhead the deployment of AI infrastructure.
Announced during a high-level state visit by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the initiative is being billed as a transformative step in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy.
This national agenda was established to support economic diversification through technology and innovation.
Speaking at the state visit, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang positioned the partnership as a foundational investment in the Kingdom’s digital future.
“AI, like electricity and internet, is essential infrastructure for every nation,” Huang said. “Together with Humain, we are building AI infrastructure for the people and companies of Saudi Arabia to realize the bold vision of the Kingdom.”
Details of the Deal
The plan includes the creation of AI factories with a projected capacity of up to 500 megawatts, powered by hundreds of thousands of Nvidia’s latest GPUs. The first phase alone will involve 18,000 Nvidia GB300 Grace Blackwell supercomputers networked with Nvidia InfiniBand technology.
“Our partnership with Nvidia is a bold step forward in realizing the Kingdom’s ambitions to lead in AI and advanced digital infrastructure,” said Tareq Amin, CEO of Humain. “Together, we are building the capacity, capability and a new globally enabled community to shape a future powered by intelligent technology and empowered people.”
Several key initiatives have been outlined in the announcement, designed with the aim of creating an integrated AI ecosystem across sectors.
For one, Humain will deploy the country’s first Nvidia Omniverse Cloud to simulate and test AI tools with digital twins, with a particular focus on the energy, manufacturing and logistics industries.
Nvidia will also play a critical role in talent development, training thousands of local developers to work with accelerated computing and AI.
As part of a separate collaboration, the Saudi Data and AI Authority will use up to 5,000 Blackwell GPUs to build a sovereign AI factory, in addition to advancing smart city infrastructure.
Joint training programs will support government and academic researchers working on both physical and agentic AI systems.
“This partnership with Nvidia reflects SDAIA’s commitment to harnessing and advancing the potential of data and AI through continuous innovation,” said H.E. Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi, president of SDAIA. “It marks a significant step toward positioning the Kingdom as a leader among data- and AI-driven economies, and in building a knowledge-based society and an advanced digital economy aligned with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.”
Additionally, Aramco Digital will collaborate with Nvidia to develop enterprise AI platforms, contribute to startup innovation and build a robotics and engineering center of excellence utilizing Nvidia’s technology stack.
The news comes as the U.S. Commerce Department relaxed its GPU export controls, which lessens restrictions on selling advanced semiconductors to nations, such as Saudi Arabia.
The rule change has already sparked a number of new investments between U.S. tech companies and the Middle East as the region looks to bolster its AI offerings. In addition, earlier this week, Trump announced Riyadh is investing $600 billion in America’s tech and energy infrastructure, among other things.