Blackstone Inc is partnering with Saudi Arabia’s AI company Humain to develop data centres across the kingdom, beginning with an initial $3bn investment, marking a significant step in the region’s AI infrastructure ambitions, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The venture will see AirTrunk, jointly owned by Blackstone and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, collaborate with Humain on financing, building, and operating AI-ready data centres in Saudi Arabia. Humain, backed by the Public Investment Fund, recently broke ground on its first facilities, with plans to have them operational in early 2026 and to expand capacity to 1.9 gigawatts by 2030.
The partnership aligns with Saudi Arabia’s push into high-tech sectors, with Humain also engaging chipmakers including Nvidia and US partners such as Qualcomm and Cisco. Humain’s CEO, Tareq Amin, said the initiative could grow to include other investors such as BlackRock, KKR, and DigitalBridge, highlighting the project’s potential scale.
Blackstone, which acquired AirTrunk for $16bn last year, brings global data center expertise to the venture, leveraging its experience in Asia-Pacific markets.
