Charles Esther
Saudi Arabia’s AI venture Humain, supported by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Groq, has deployed OpenAI’s open-source models—gpt-oss-120B and gpt-oss-20B—within sovereign data centers located inside the Kingdom.
This local hosting ensures full compliance with Saudi Arabia’s data sovereignty and regulatory frameworks, allowing organizations to use these AI models without transferring sensitive data abroad.
High-Performance AI Inference on Local Infrastructure
The deployed models operate on Groq’s cutting-edge AI inference platform, delivering speeds exceeding 500 tokens per second for gpt-oss-120B and 1,000 tokens per second for gpt-oss-20B.
Groq’s hardware, designed specifically for large-scale AI inference, offers predictable performance and lower costs compared to traditional GPUs.
Strategic Partnership Enhances Regional AI Capabilities
The collaboration between Humain and Groq, established in May 2025, aims to expand AI infrastructure and services throughout Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East.
This move positions Saudi Arabia as a regional hub for high-performance, open-source AI models usable in research, commercial, and governmental applications.
CEO Highlights AI Sovereignty Milestone for Saudi Arabia
Tareq Amin, CEO of Humain, called the deployment a “defining moment,” emphasizing that Saudi developers and enterprises now have direct, sovereign access to leading AI technologies fully aligned with national laws.
He described this as the embodiment of AI sovereignty, marking just the beginning of Saudi Arabia’s AI ambitions.
Upcoming $10 Billion Venture Fund to Support AI Startups
Humain plans to launch a $10 billion venture capital fund, Humain Ventures, this summer to invest in high-potential AI startups.
This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the goals of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, aiming to boost the Kingdom’s role in the global AI economy.
Ambitious Data Center Expansion Plans
Humain targets building up to 1.9 GW of AI-centric data center capacity by 2030, with a goal to scale to 6.6 GW within four years.
A pilot site featuring 50 MW capacity and 18,000 Nvidia GPUs is already under development, expected to go live next year.
Major Partnerships with Global Tech Giants
Humain has secured deals totaling $23 billion with leading technology companies including Nvidia, AMD, Amazon Web Services, and Qualcomm.
The overall project valuation could reach $77 billion, reflecting the scale of Saudi Arabia’s AI infrastructure ambitions.
Joint Ventures Drive AI Compute Capacity
In partnership with AMD, Humain is forming a $10 billion joint venture to deliver 500 MW of AI compute capacity over five years.
Separately, a $2 billion collaboration with Qualcomm will establish a chipset design center in Riyadh, employing 500 engineers.
Saudi Arabia Aims to Capture Significant Global AI Market Share
Humain aims to manage 7% of worldwide AI model training by 2030, focusing on both the development of AI models and inference capabilities.
This goal underlines Saudi Arabia’s commitment to becoming a global leader in AI technology.
Enabling a Sovereign and Scalable AI Ecosystem
Through investments in infrastructure, partnerships, and local hosting, Humain is building a sovereign AI ecosystem that supports the Kingdom’s regulatory framework while fostering innovation and economic growth.
