HUMAIN, AirTrunk to build DCs in Saudi Arabia
Author: Joe Peck
AI company HUMAIN and hyperscale data centre operator AirTrunk have agreed a strategic partnership to develop data centres in Saudi Arabia, including an initial project valued at around $3 billion (£2.2 billion) for a new campus in the country.
HUMAIN is headquartered in Saudi Arabia and focuses on artificial intelligence capability development, while AirTrunk operates hyperscale data centre platforms across Asia Pacific. HUMAIN is owned by the Public Investment Fund, and AirTrunk is backed by Blackstone and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
The companies say the partnership is intended to support Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to expand its digital infrastructure and position itself as a regional technology hub.
According to the organisations, the joint initiative aims to combine local AI and infrastructure expertise with international hyperscale data centre deployment experience.
Industry comments
Tareq Amin, Chief Executive Officer of HUMAIN, says, “Together with AirTrunk and Blackstone, HUMAIN is strengthening the technological infrastructure that underpins the Kingdom’s digital economy.
“This partnership marks a pivotal moment in creating scalable, secure, and sustainable data centre capacity to support the rapid growth of AI and cloud computing. This initiative not only accelerates Saudi Arabia’s technological advancement, but also establishes a platform for long-term economic diversification and global competitiveness.”
Robin Khuda, founder and Chief Executive Officer of AirTrunk, says, “Our strategic partnership with HUMAIN, a key player in the region, will support Saudi Arabia to realise its vision of being a data- and AI-driven economy.
“We’re bringing together the whole digital ecosystem, combining HUMAIN’s end-to-end AI capabilities, from infrastructure to models, with AirTrunk’s hyperscale data centre capabilities. This announcement strengthens the AirTrunk data centre platform as we deliver world-class digital infrastructure for the cloud and AI across the Asia Pacific and now the Middle East, which is one of the fastest growing regions in the world.”
Stephen A Schwarzman, Chair, Chief Executive Officer, and co-founder of Blackstone, says, “We are thrilled to help power this next era of innovation in the Middle East and enable AirTrunk’s expansion in this important region.
“The AI revolution continues to be one of Blackstone’s highest conviction themes, and we bring scale and expertise across the ecosystem as the largest provider of data centres globally and a significant investor in related services and infrastructure.”
Long-term development and investment focus
The partnership is expected to cover the design, construction, financing, and operation of large-scale facilities in Saudi Arabia.
HUMAIN says it will lead national efforts to deliver AI-ready infrastructure, while AirTrunk and Blackstone will focus on development and investment.
Areas of collaboration include attracting cloud service providers and enterprise customers to the sites.
A talent development focus is also planned, with training and capability-building programmes intended to support local workforce growth in the sector.
According to the companies, the partnership aligns with the Kingdom’s plans to build a digital economy, expand local skills, and accelerate AI infrastructure deployment.
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