Saudi Arabia: Artificial intelligence company Humain has reached an agreement with AirTrunk that will see a $3 billion investment for a data center campus in Saudi Arabia.

The Public Investment Fund-owned firm will work with the Asia-Pacific company, which is backed by the world’s largest alternative asset manager Blackstone and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Under the deal, Humain will lead Saudi Arabia’s efforts to deliver large-scale AI-ready infrastructure, while Blackstone and AirTrunk will bring global expertise, operational excellence and investment capacity. 

The deal aligns with Humain’s mandate to position the Kingdom as a global leader in artificial intelligence and reinforces its commitment to building best-in-class digital and AI infrastructure.

“Together with AirTrunk and Blackstone, Humain is strengthening the technological infrastructure that underpins the Kingdom’s digital economy,” said Tareq Amin, CEO of Humain. 

Amin further said that this partnership also marks a pivotal moment in creating scalable, secure, and sustainable data center capacity to support the rapid growth of AI and cloud computing in Saudi Arabia. 

“This initiative not only accelerates Saudi Arabia’s technological advancement but also establishes a platform for long-term economic diversification and global competitiveness,” added Amin. 

Under the scope of the partnership, both Humain and AirTrunk will cooperate across several key areas, including data center design, construction, and operation; financing through equity and debt; and go-to-market initiatives to attract hyperscalers and enterprise clients.

The partnership will also focus on developing local talent and capabilities, supporting Saudi Arabia’s ambition to build a globally competitive and sustainable digital ecosystem.

“Our strategic partnership with Humain, a key player in the region, will support Saudi Arabia to realize its vision of being a data- and AI-driven economy,” said Robin Khuda, founder and CEO at AirTrunk. 

He added: “This announcement strengthens the AirTrunk data center 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 Schwarzman, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, said that the company continues to bring scale and expertise across the AI ecosystem as the largest provider of data centers globally and a significant investor in related services and infrastructure.