Humain is moving forward with laying AI infrastructure: PIF-owned Humain will develop and operate up to 1 GW of AI-focused data centers through a new JV with STC subsidiary Center3, STC said in a disclosure to Tadawul. The six-month MoU targets an initial capacity of 250 MW, with the remainder contingent on securing contracts for the additional capacity. No financial details have been disclosed.

Who owns what? Humain will hold a 51% stake in the JV, with STC owning the rest. The Public Investment Fund owns 100% of Humain and 62% of STC.

BACKGROUND- Center3 unveiled a big expansion plan for its data center infrastructure in August, committing USD 10 bn to deploy 1 GW of total capacity by 2030. Some 300 MW are set to be installed by 2027.

In Context: We have the makings of a global AI hub

Saudi wants to put AI at the forefront of its diversification agenda. The pitch? To leverage the low cost of electricity from our huge solar plants — a fraction of the global average — to power AI data centers, making Saudi an attractive hub for global companies to run their AI models.

The gov’t is all in: The PIF is expected to channel big investments into the sector in the next five years as it shifts away from capital-intensive construction projects. Aramco is also snapping up a big piece of Humain “to combine the two entities' AI assets and expertise under Humain to accelerate its global growth.”

There’s also no shortage of land in the Kingdom’s vast deserts. Humain already found over 200 sites with access to a combined 15.6 GW of energy supply in just two weeks of its inception, CEO Tareq Amin told The Economist. This includes four large plots just next to solar power projects, Amin says.

AND- The chips are starting to flow: The US cleared Humain in November to get thousands of Nvidia’s high-end GB300 chips. An earlier USD 1.5 bn agreement in February between Aramco Digital (where Amin was the CEO) and Groq secured semiconductors for what was touted as the largest AI inference node in the world.

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