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Saudi Arabia is going all-in on AIand it just roped in a major U.S. chipmaker to help lead the charge. The Kingdom's new AI investment vehicle, Humain, has announced a $10 billion commitment to build a global AI backbone, including hyperscale data centers, clean energy infrastructure, and fiber-optic connectivity from Riyadh to the U.S. AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) will be supplying chips and software for the rollout. While it's not yet confirmed whether AMD is putting capital into the deal or acting strictly as a vendor, the move could signal a broader pivot: courting sovereign-backed AI projects as an alternative to chasing the usual Big Tech crowd.
AMD's CEO Lisa Su called the partnership a significant milestone, hinting at a globally scaled AI architecture that could rival existing setups in openness and reach. With Nvidia also set to contribute chips, Humain appears to be spreading its bets across the AI hardware spectrum. The announcement was made at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, with former President Donald Trump presenta setting that speaks volumes about the geopolitical stakes behind the deal. For AMD, this could be a shot at gaining market share in a space where Nvidia has long ruled the accelerator roost.
Meanwhile, sources suggest the U.S. government is finalizing a deal to give Saudi Arabia broader access to advanced semiconductors, even as it keeps China on a tighter leash. That could pave the way for more sovereign AI projects out of the Gulf, with U.S. chipmakersespecially those outside the Big Tech orbitwell-positioned to benefit. For investors, this isn't just a data center buildout. It's a potential rebalancing of global AI powerand a fresh demand engine for the semiconductor names fueling it.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.