Amazon Web Services (AWS) and HUMAIN, a new Saudi company focused on AI innovation, have announced a major partnership worth over $5 billion. They plan to build a unique “AI Zone” in Saudi Arabia.
This special zone will include powerful AWS AI infrastructure, top-quality semiconductors, fast networking systems, and advanced tools like SageMaker, Bedrock, and Amazon Q. The goal is to help Saudi Arabia become a global leader in artificial intelligence.
AWS has already announced plans to build a new cloud infrastructure region in Saudi Arabia, which is set to be ready by 2026. Amazon is investing $5.3 billion (about 19.88 billion Saudi riyals) in this project.
The newly announced AI Zone is a separate, additional investment. It aims to support the growing demand for advanced AI services in Saudi Arabia and around the world. This is part of AWS’s long-term plan to bring its top technology and services to the Kingdom.
This partnership supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and builds on the country’s 2024 promise to invest in an AI-driven economy. It’s a big step toward Saudi Arabia’s goal of becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence.
As part of the plan, AWS will bring its powerful servers, networks, and AI services to the Kingdom. This includes tools like Amazon SageMaker, Amazon Bedrock, and Amazon Q—services that help businesses create and grow generative AI (genAI) applications.
With Amazon Bedrock in Saudi Arabia, companies and government agencies will be able to use top AI models from leading providers to build genAI tools with strong privacy, security, and ethical standards. Amazon Q, one of the world’s smartest coding assistants, also helps organizations create AI-powered helpers that can answer questions, summarize information, generate content, and handle tasks using their data.
“We thank AWS for doubling their long-term partnership with the Kingdom. This new collaboration with HUMAIN lays the foundation for the intelligent era, accelerates our innovation momentum, grows our talent, and reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position as a global partner of choice in the age of AI,” said His Excellency Eng: Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology.
AWS and HUMAIN will also team up to grow the AI startup scene in Saudi Arabia. They will give startups access to powerful cloud tools and support programs, like AWS Activate. This will help the country’s most ambitious founders and entrepreneurs grow and expand their businesses.
AWS has helped over 330,000 startups turn their ideas into real businesses worldwide. Its cloud services are affordable, secure, and easy to scale, and its AI tools add even more value. By working with HUMAIN, which offers strong local support, they aim to boost Saudi Arabia’s startup ecosystem.
In 2024, Saudi startups raised $750 million in venture capital—the highest amount in the Middle East and North Africa, according to MAGNiTT.
“This collaboration to build an AI Zone in Saudi Arabia will enable innovations across all industries using AWS’s advanced AI offerings and reflects our commitment to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030,” said Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services. “Together, we will empower customers with cost-effective and secure cloud technologies, fuel innovation and economic growth across the nation, and enable HUMAIN to appeal to customers globally.”
Saudi Arabia is expected to lead the Middle East in the economic impact of AI over the next few years. According to PwC, AI could add $130 billion to Saudi Arabia’s economy by 2030. That’s more than 40% of the total $320 billion in AI value expected for the Middle East.
“HUMAIN’s partnership with AWS is a pivotal moment in Saudi Arabia’s journey to become a global leader in AI,” said Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN. “By leveraging AWS’s world-class cloud infrastructure and AI expertise and HUMAIN’s full-stack AI capabilities, we are creating an offering that will attract global investment and talent, thereby driving our digital transformation agenda forward.”
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