Saudi Aramco Acquires 49% Stake in AI Firm Humain for $2.6 Billion

Saudi Aramco has agreed to acquire a 49% stake in artificial intelligence infrastructure company Humain for approximately $2.6 billion. According to The Decoder, the deal supports Saudi Arabia's strategic goal of becoming a global AI hub. Founded in May 2025 by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Humain builds data centers, develops cloud services, and trains AI models such as the Arabic language model ALLaM.

Per Aramco's statement, the contribution will occur in 2026 and includes the transfer of Aramco's own AI technology. Humain plans to build three gigawatts of data center capacity by 2030, aiming to serve both domestic demand and international markets as a leading AI exporter. Business momentum is already visible: AMD reported in late August that infrastructure built jointly with Cisco and Humain is now serving customers inside and outside Saudi Arabia.

For Saudi Aramco, this investment extends beyond finance into digital transformation. The oil giant plans to use these AI technologies in its own operations and generate additional revenue by selling its own AI solutions. Previously, through its investment arm Wa'ed Ventures, Aramco acquired a stake in Korean AI chip developer Rebellions. Despite regional geopolitical tensions affecting some construction projects, Humain CEO Tareq Amin stated that the company is leveraging Aramco's experience in securing oil infrastructure to enhance data center protection, noting that demand has not dropped due to the war.