The Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Google Cloud have announced a new partnership to develop a global artificial intelligence (AI) hub in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, near Dammam. The project, formalised at the 8th Edition of the Future Investment Initiative, aims to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as a key player in the AI industry and to enhance local digital capabilities.
The partnership will focus on creating specialised AI applications, including Arabic language models tailored to the region’s unique needs. The AI hub is expected to train and upskill millions of students and professionals, supporting Saudi Arabia’s goal to expand its information and communication technology (ICT) sector by 50 percent. Businesses across various industries will be able to access Google Cloud’s AI technology to improve operations and enhance service delivery.
H.E. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of PIF, said, “We are delighted to welcome this new Google Cloud AI hub to Saudi Arabia. This partnership demonstrates PIF’s dedication to fostering an AI-friendly environment through investments in human capital and technology, upskilling thousands with cutting-edge tools to support our sustainable and innovative infrastructure goals. Saudi Arabia is a prime location for global tech partners as PIF brings both sector expertise and a long-term approach to investment.”
A significant aspect of this partnership is the integration of Google Cloud’s advanced technology, including the latest tensor processing units (TPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs). These resources will support high-performance AI applications, particularly through the Vertex AI platform, designed for building generative AI solutions.
Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, said, “This strategic partnership will accelerate adoption of AI in the local language and across industries — including healthcare, retail, financial services and more — for enterprises and startups in Saudi Arabia, across the Middle East, Africa and around the world. As part of Saudi Arabia’s rich technology ecosystem, we aim to create highly-skilled jobs for Saudis and opportunities for global businesses to fuel growth through cloud adoption.”
According to preliminary research commissioned by Google Cloud, the AI hub could contribute an estimated $71 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP over the next eight years. The economic impact is expected to create thousands of high-skill jobs within the country and support growth across sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail.
This initiative is part of PIF’s broader investment in Saudi Arabia’s technology ecosystem, which includes projects in telecommunications, cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things. The new AI hub builds on Google Cloud’s existing infrastructure in the region, including a data centre launched in Dammam last year, further integrating Saudi Arabia into Google’s global network.
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