Amazon today unveiled a world-first partnership with Humain. This nascent artificial intelligence company is funded by Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman. This partnership pledges more than $5 billion to build the world’s first “AI Zone” in Saudi Arabia. Its ambition is to increase the pace of AI adoption across the kingdom and globally.
The formation of the joint venture was announced at a U.S.-Saudi investment forum. High-profile guests Former President Donald Trump joined a number of leaders in the tech industry in their attendance. Amazon is expected to invest around $5.3 billion to establish an AWS region in Saudi Arabia. This westernmost region became the first to officially announce their intention to go live in 2026.
In a press release, Amazon emphasized that the AI Zone commitments represent an “additional investment” beyond the $5.3 billion allocated for the AWS region. This AI Zone will feature dedicated AWS AI infrastructure. It will bring servers, networks, and specialized training and certification programs to further develop local talent and increase AI capacity across the state.
Saudi Arabia has begun requiring all AI companies and services operating in its borders to store the data locally. This regulation has led to the downstream requirement of a multitude of vendors, Amazon included, building facilities in the kingdom to maintain their temporary contracts. This partnership with Humain is going to help us deepen and expand our local technology ecosystem.
Unfortunately, Amazon is not alone in seeking out AI opportunities in Saudi Arabia. Google and Salesforce—other American tech titans—have partnered with the PIF. Collectively, they’re at the helm of some pretty groundbreaking AI-powered projects and investments. The Trump administration has rolled out yet another glowing new initiative. This enables U.S.-based commercial technology suppliers, such as Nvidia and AMD, to negotiate contracts with Saudi companies.
Saudi Arabia was very intentional in creating Humain as a way to help diversify the country’s technological ecosystem. This action is designed to catalyze innovation in artificial intelligence.
“AI Zone” – Amazon Press Release
Kyle Wiggers Kyle Wiggers Kyle is TechCrunch’s AI Editor. As a result, he added, THIS for AI is well-positioned to have a profound impact on the course of AI development in the region long-term.
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