The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched HUMAIN, a company owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is the country’s sovereign wealth fund, to operate and invest across the artificial intelligence (AI) value chain as a unified operating company. The launch of HUMAIN was announced by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who also serves as Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the PIF.
In a press release, PIF said, that HUMAIN will be chaired by HRH the Crown Prince, and that it will provide a comprehensive range of AI services, products and tools, including next-generation data centers, AI infrastructure and cloud capabilities, and advanced AI models and solutions. The company will also offer one of the world’s most powerful multimodal Arabic large language models (LLMs).
It further said that the company will enable capabilities to develop and deliver AI solutions locally, regionally and globally. “HUMAIN aspires to both enhance human capabilities and support the unlocking of new possibilities through the digital economy,” it said, adding, “HUMAIN will also streamline various data center initiatives, procure hardware and accelerate the adoption of AI technologies. The company will serve as a regional and global AI hub for strategic sectors, including energy, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services.”
Sharing its goals and strategies, PIF said that it and its companies are actively investing in building an AI ecosystem and fostering international AI partnerships. “These investments benefit from Saudi Arabia’s strategic location at the nexus of three continents, which enables large volumes of data to be processed, as well as the country’s economic growth prospects and young, tech-savvy population, which support cutting-edge AI research and innovation.”
PIF’s strategy for the AI and digital economy contributes to positioning Saudi Arabia as a globally competitive hub by innovating and building capacity, in its mission to enable the development and diversification of the domestic economy. Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest growing digital infrastructure markets in the world with new data centers and connectivity infrastructure like subsea cables and internet exchanges being planned across all major markets.
Meanwhile, HUMAIN will also foster local innovation and the creation of intellectual property, and achieve national AI aspirations. This will include consolidating Saudi Arabia’s position as a global leader in enabling the most advanced data and AI technologies and in attracting investment opportunities as well as the best talents in the sector, both locally and globally.
