The Gulf kingdom of Saudi Arabia is leveraging its abundant energy resources, cheap land and sovereign-wealth capital to pivot from oil-exporter to artificial-intelligence-exporter. It has begun building massive data-centres, partnering with major global tech firms and projecting itself as a destination where AI “compute factories” can be established at scale.
Saudi Arabia’s strategy includes forming alliances with both U.S. and Chinese technology companies, deploying advanced GPU infrastructure, and placing AI at the centre of its national diversification programme (Vision 2030). The goal is not just domestic transformation but to become a global hub that provides AI infrastructure and services to other countries and companies.
However, this ambitious plan faces significant challenges: procuring cutting-edge hardware amid export controls, attracting and retaining skilled AI talent, and converting massive infrastructure investment into viable commercial AI services rather than just build-outs. Experts note that while Saudi Arabia is well-positioned, success is not guaranteed.
In summary, Saudi Arabia’s move signals a shift in the global geography of artificial intelligence infrastructure — from traditional tech hubs in North America and East Asia toward energy-rich regions prepared to host AI heavy workloads. Whether this leads to a sustainable business model — or just a large speculative build-out — remains to be seen.
