In a move to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation and position the Kingdom as a global leader in artificial intelligence and data infrastructure, HUMAIN, a Saudi-based AI company owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and AirTrunk, Asia Pacific’s leading data center platform backed by Blackstone and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, have entered a strategic partnership to build next-generation data centers across Saudi Arabia.
The initial phase of the collaboration includes an investment of about $3 billion to establish a large-scale data center campus in the Kingdom. And the partnership combines HUMAIN’s expertise as Saudi Arabia’s national AI champion with AirTrunk’s proven operational experience in building and managing hyperscale data centers for central global cloud and AI clients. Together, the companies will strengthen the technological backbone supporting the Kingdom’s AI-driven digital economy and its Vision 2030 ambitions.
The alliance unites three major forces, HUMAIN, AirTrunk, and Blackstone, in a long-term strategic partnership to finance, develop, and operate a network of AI-ready data centers and digital infrastructure throughout Saudi Arabia. The initiative aligns with the nation’s goal of becoming a hub for global innovation and sustainable technology, while fostering local capabilities, creating jobs, and attracting international hyperscalers and enterprise clients to the region.
The collaboration will focus on several areas of joint development, including data center design, construction, and operations; investment through equity and debt financing; and go-to-market strategies to attract global technology companies. The initiative will also prioritize talent development, advancing Saudi Arabia’s goal of cultivating a highly skilled digital workforce while expanding its international competitiveness in AI and data infrastructure.
HUMAIN will lead national efforts to deploy scalable AI infrastructure, leveraging its expertise in next-generation data centers, high-performance computing, and Arabic large-language models. AirTrunk, renowned for its sustainable, high-efficiency hyperscale facilities, will bring global design and operational excellence to the project. Backed by Blackstone—the world’s largest alternative asset manager and data center investor—the partnership will provide both capital strength and deep sector experience to accelerate delivery at scale.
This venture represents a milestone in the Kingdom’s broader mission to diversify its economy, reduce reliance on oil, and emerge as a leader in advanced digital industries. By combining AI capabilities with world-class infrastructure, the partnership will position Saudi Arabia at the forefront of the global data economy, supporting its emergence as a regional center for AI, cloud, and edge computing.
KEY QUOTES:
“Together with AirTrunk and Blackstone, HUMAIN is strengthening the technological infrastructure that underpins the Kingdom’s digital economy. This partnership marks a pivotal moment in creating scalable, secure, and sustainable data center 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.”
Tareq Amin, Chief Executive Officer, HUMAIN
“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. We’re bringing together the whole digital ecosystem, combining HUMAIN’s end-to-end AI capabilities, from infrastructure to models, with AirTrunk’s leading hyperscale data center capabilities. 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.”
Robin Khuda, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AirTrunk
“We are thrilled to help power this next era of innovation in the Middle East and enable AirTrunk’s expansion in this important region. The AI revolution continues to be one of Blackstone’s highest conviction themes, and we bring scale and expertise across the ecosystem as the largest provider of data centers globally and a significant investor in related services and infrastructure. This initiative reinforces Blackstone’s position as one of the world’s leading investors in digital infrastructure and marks a commitment to deepening our presence in the Middle East.”
Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Blackstone
