HUMAIN, a Saudi-based AI company, and AirTrunk, a data centre platform in the Asia-Pacific region, have announced a strategic partnership to develop data centres in Saudi Arabia.
The first project involves an investment of around US$3 billion to establish a large-scale data centre campus in the country.
The partnership combines HUMAIN’s role as Saudi Arabia’s national AI entity with AirTrunk’s experience in developing and operating hyperscale data centres.
It supports the country’s objective of becoming a global hub for innovation and digital infrastructure.
HUMAIN is owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
AirTrunk is backed by Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
The financial capacity and industry experience of the partners highlight the scale and significance of this initiative.
Tareq Amin, Chief Executive Officer of HUMAIN, said:
“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, said:
“We’re bringing together the whole digital ecosystem, combining HUMAIN’s end-to-end AI capabilities with AirTrunk’s hyperscale data centre expertise. This announcement strengthens the AirTrunk platform as we deliver digital infrastructure for the cloud and AI across the Asia–Pacific and now the Middle East.”
Under the agreement, HUMAIN, AirTrunk, and Blackstone will form a long-term strategic partnership to finance, develop, and operate next-generation data centres and AI infrastructure across Saudi Arabia.
HUMAIN will lead national efforts to deliver large-scale AI-ready infrastructure, while AirTrunk and Blackstone will provide development expertise, operational experience, and investment capacity.
The collaboration will cover data centre design, construction, and operation; financing through equity and debt; and market engagement to attract cloud and enterprise clients.
The partners also plan to support the development of local skills and capabilities to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s aim of building a globally competitive and sustainable digital ecosystem.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Middle East, based on image by art studio ideas via Freepik
