In a significant development that could reshape the global artificial intelligence landscape, the United States is poised to approve its first-ever export deal of advanced chips to Saudi Arabia’s Humine, a technology company directly backed by the Public Investment Fund and overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The anticipated decision coincides with the Crown Prince’s visit to Washington and his meeting with US President Donald Trump, at a time when the Kingdom is increasingly investing in the computing sector as a new pillar for diversifying its economy.
According to sources cited by Bloomberg, the agreement is part of a broader bilateral understanding between Riyadh and Washington on artificial intelligence, which includes allowing the export of batches of chips to the Saudi market after nearly two years of US restrictions on this type of sensitive technology. The number of chips expected to be approved for export is estimated at tens of thousands, while Humine plans to acquire 400,000 chips by 2030, according to previous statements by the company's CEO, Tarek Amin.
President Trump confirmed that the United States is"working on this," indicating that the deal includes "specific levels of chips," without providing further details. This move represents an early victory for Humine, which, since its founding last May, has been striving to establish itself as a major provider of computing capabilities in the region through a series of partnerships with leading American companies such as Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm, and Groc.
Conversely, this deal represents a potential boost for the US chip industry, at a time when companies are seeking new markets amid escalating competition from China and limited expansion in traditional markets. However, security concerns were also present, as Washington has repeatedly expressed worries about the potential for technology leakage to China via Gulf states.
“Humain,” which was officially launched during a previous visit by President Trump to the Kingdom, has become the cornerstone of the Crown Prince’s ambitious project to establish a massive artificial intelligence infrastructure, with promises to create a computing capacity of up to 6.6 gigawatts by 2034. This capacity is roughly equivalent to what the US “Stargate” project, led by OpenAI, aspires to, and is enough to power about five million American homes at once.
Humine's strategy is based on a combination of competitive advantages: low energy costs, abundant land, a less expensive local workforce, and significant government incentives. The company has signed an agreement with Blackstone to build data centers with an initial investment exceeding $3 billion, while Aramco has announced its intention to acquire a minority stake in the project.
The Kingdom is betting on artificial intelligence as a clearer path than other, more complex projects, such as NEOM, which has faced funding hurdles and implementation challenges. Some investors are calling Humanine “the new NEOM,” given its political momentum and commercial clarity. Although the project is still in its early stages, some initial shipments of chips are just awaiting approval from Washington before actual work on the data centers can begin.
Tariq Amin asserts that his company has the capability to offer computing services at a cost 30% lower than the global market average, indicating that the Kingdom is now well-positioned to become an attractive location for international companies seeking high-performance computing at competitive prices. Even if the arrival of the latest chips is delayed, the project will not be halted. As one of Humine's partners stated,"The journey might be slightly delayed, but the plane will arrive."
