HUMAIN and Infra Launch $1.2B AI Infrastructure Push in Saudi Arabia

Editorial Team

Last updated 21-01-2026

3 min

HUMAIN and Infra unveiled a “non-binding” $1,2bn framework at Davos for AI infrastructure.

Plans include up to 250 megawatts of hyperscale AI data centres across Saudi Arabia.

The sites would use advanced GPUs to meet rising demand for serious computing power.

The partnership may open an investment platform for global and regional institutions.

It signals growing confidence in AI as central to Vision 2030 plans.

Talk of artificial intelligence and infrastructure tends to feel abstract, until the numbers land. On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, HUMAIN and the National Infrastructure Fund, known as Infra, outlined a strategic financing framework worth up to $1.2 billion to back new AI and digital infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia. It’s non‑binding, yes, but the ambition is very real.

At the heart of the agreement is HUMAIN’s plan to develop up to 250 megawatts of hyperscale AI data centre capacity across the Kingdom. These facilities are expected to use state-of-the-art GPUs, the heavy machinery behind AI training and inference, to serve customers locally and beyond. For founders I’ve met around Arageek meetups over the years, access to serious compute has often been the missing piece. Without it, clever ideas can hit a brick wall, fast.

That said, the partnership goes wider than just bricks and servers. Infra and HUMAIN are also exploring an AI data centre investment platform that could open the door for global and regional institutional investors. The idea is to create a structure that supports long-term scaling of HUMAIN’s AI strategy, while tapping deeper pools of capital. It sounds spot on in theory, and if pulled off well, could save future projects a bit of a faff when it comes to financing.

Tareq Amin, HUMAIN’s chief executive, pointed to the surge in demand for advanced computing power, saying the framework positions the company to move quickly and at scale. From Infra’s side, CEO Eng. Esmail Alsallom described the agreement as a step towards unlocking more infrastructure investment and strengthening the Kingdom’s digital economy through AI.

I reckon this kind of deal says as much about confidence as it does about cash. Saudi Arabia has been talking about AI and digital infrastructure for years, but tying it to a framework of this size shows how central compute has become to Vision 2030 ambitions. On the flip side, non-binding agreements don’t always turn into steel and fibre cables, you know? Execution will be everything.

Still, for a region where entrepreneurs often tell me they feel chuffed to bits just to get reliable cloud access, seeing hyperscale capacity discussed in megawatts feels like a shift. There’s a long road ahead, definately, but moves like this hint that AI infrastructure in the Kingdom is no longer a distant concept, it’s becoming part of the everyday conversation.

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