Tech giant NVIDIA announced last Tuesday a landmark partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aimed at transforming the nation into a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, robotics and digital innovation.
The announcement was made during a state visit involving U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking at the event, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang said the collaboration will help Saudi Arabia build sovereign AI infrastructure and cultivate local expertise to join the ranks of the world’s most advanced AI nations.
“AI, like electricity and the internet, is essential infrastructure for every nation.
“Together with HUMAIN, we are building AI infrastructure for the people and companies of Saudi Arabia to realize the bold vision of the Kingdom,” he added.
As part of the initiative, HUMAIN is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and will make a major investment to build large-scale AI factories in the Kingdom.
These facilities will eventually reach a capacity of up to 500 megawatts and will be powered by hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA’s most advanced GPUs over the next five years.
The first phase will see the deployment of an 18,000-unit NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell AI supercomputer, supported by NVIDIA’s InfiniBand networking technology.
The partnership will also see the launch of Saudi Arabia’s first NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud platform, which will allow for the development and testing of physical AI solutions using digital twin simulations.
NVIDIA will work closely with the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) to deploy up to 5,000 Blackwell GPUs for the development of sovereign AI systems and smart city solutions. The partnership will also include training programs for government and university researchers to build and deploy advanced AI models.
Furthermore, Aramco Digital will collaborate with NVIDIA to develop high-performance AI computing infrastructure, engage with NVIDIA’s startup ecosystem, and establish enterprise AI platforms.
The company will also launch a robotics and engineering center of excellence based on NVIDIA technologies.
The comprehensive collaboration is expected to drive innovation across key sectors such as energy, logistics, and manufacturing. By leveraging AI and digital twin technologies, the initiative aims to improve efficiency, enhance safety, and support the Kingdom’s broader goals of economic diversification and digital leadership under Vision 2030.
Shahriena Shukri is a journalist covering business and economic news in Malaysia, providing insights on market trends, corporate developments, and financial policies. More about Shahriena Shukri.
