$600 Billion Tech Pact at Riyadh Forum Ignites US Saudi AI Future
▼ Summary
– **$600 billion Saudi investment commitment** to the US, with a strong focus on technology and AI, marking a major shift in global tech investments.
– **$100 billion allocated for breakthrough technologies**, including an $80 billion consortium investment and a $20 billion DataVolt pledge for AI data centers in the US.
– **Launch of “Humain”**, a Saudi AI company backed by the PIF, aiming to develop advanced AI models, Arabic LLMs, and next-gen data centers.
– **Major partnerships with global tech leaders**, including Nvidia, AMD, Google Cloud, AWS, and Oracle, totaling tens of billions in investments for AI infrastructure.
– **Policy shift enabling AI chip exports** to Saudi Arabia, facilitating large-scale tech deals and reinforcing US-Saudi tech collaboration under Vision 2030.
The Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh didn’t follow the usual script. What unfolded was a bold pivot toward tech, with Saudi Arabia pledging a massive $600 billion in investments, much of it aimed at the United States. The forum covered energy, logistics, and finance, but it was AI and emerging technologies that drew the spotlight. This wasn’t a side note; it was a strategic signal. Riyadh is placing big bets on data, chips, and algorithms to fast-track its Vision 2030 goals and reshape where global tech capital flows next.
The Tech Deal Deluge
A massive $100 billion was earmarked for breakthrough technologies, a clear indicator of the forum’s digital ambitions. This includes an $80 billion joint investment from a powerhouse consortium. Tech giants Google, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD, and Uber, alongside Saudi-based DataVolt, are set to pour funds into “transformative technologies” in both nations. Adding to this, DataVolt separately pledged a hefty $20 billion to construct AI-focused data centers and supporting energy infrastructure within the United States, showcasing a significant two way investment street.
The Kingdom’s AI aspirations found a new champion in “Humain,” a company newly launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Humain is poised to become an AI titan, focusing on developing advanced AI models, pioneering multimodal Arabic Large Language Models (LLMs), and building out next generation data centers and cloud capabilities.
Humain quickly forged critical alliances with global tech leaders:
- Nvidia inked a deal to supply an initial 18,000 of its cutting edge GB300 Blackwell AI chips, with “several hundred thousand” more slated over the next five years to power new “AI factories”.
- AMD announced a $10 billion collaboration to deploy 500MW of its AI compute capacity, leveraging its Instinct GPUs and ROCm open software.
- Google Cloud is partnering with Humain on a $10 billion investment to build a major AI hub in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, aimed at serving regional enterprises.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) will invest over $5 billion in a strategic partnership with Humain to create an “AI Zone” in the Kingdom.
- Oracle committed to a $14 billion investment in Saudi Arabia over ten years, focusing on cloud and AI technology deployment.
- Salesforce, which had previously announced a $500 million five year plan for AI adoption in Saudi Arabia including a Riyadh regional HQ, is also part of the broader tech push.
- Cisco is partnering with Humain to build scalable and secure cloud based AI infrastructure.
- Qualcomm is involved with Humain and Aramco’s tech subsidiary for digital transformation.
- AI chip startup Groq will provide inference capabilities for some of Humain’s services.
Beyond data centers and chips, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced plans to launch self driving vehicles in Saudi Arabia during 2025, highlighting the Kingdom as a key growth market.
Tech Titans Convene in Riyadh
More than Announcements, the forum wasn’t just about announcements it was a gathering of the tech world’s most influential figures. The presence of U.S. President Donald Trump was accompanied by a star-studded cast of CEOs and tech leaders.
The guest list included Elon Musk of Tesla, X, and SpaceX, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Amazon’s Andy Jassy, Google and Alphabet’s Ruth Porat, IBM’s Arvind Krishna, AMD’s Lisa Su, Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi, Oracle’s Safra Catz, Palantir’s Alex Karp, and Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon. Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, was also a prominent attendee, signifying the massive financial underpinnings of these tech ventures. Their collective presence underscored the strategic importance of Saudi Arabia as a new hub for tech investment and innovation.
Policy Paving the Tech Highway
A crucial enabler for this wave of tech investment was a significant shift in U.S. policy regarding AI chip exports. The Trump administration rescinded the previous AI Diffusion rule, which had imposed quantity limits on AI chip imports for nations like Saudi Arabia. This policy adjustment directly facilitated the large scale Nvidia and AMD deals with Humain, signaling a U.S. strategy of leveraging advanced technology access to build and strengthen alliances.
A New Digital Dawn for the Kingdom
These monumental tech deals are a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a national strategy to diversify its economy beyond oil and establish itself as a global technology and investment leader. The Riyadh forum has clearly set the stage for a transformative period, with American tech giants playing a pivotal role in shaping the Kingdom’s high tech future and, in turn, forging a new, digitally powered chapter in U.S. Saudi relations. The world will be watching as this AI gold rush unfolds.
