Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 19, 2025- AMD, Cisco and Saudi-based HUMAIN have formed a new artificial intelligence joint venture and secured their first major customer, marking one of the Middle East’s most ambitious AI infrastructure commitments to date.
The companies announced plans to build up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of AI infrastructure by 2030, beginning with a 100-megawatt (MW) deployment scheduled to come online in 2026.
The initiative is being led by HUMAIN, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, while AMD and Cisco will serve as exclusive technology partners. AMD’s role centers on delivering its next-generation Instinct accelerators, while Cisco will provide the networking and systems architecture underpinning the new clusters.
The JV’s first major customer is generative video startup Luma AI, which Reuters reports has contracted the full capacity of the initial 100 MW deployment. Reuters notes that the agreement positions Luma as the anchor buyer for the JV’s first phase, giving the project commercial traction ahead of construction.
HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin told sources that the companies intend to “scale aggressively” to meet surging demand for high-density AI compute in the Gulf region. He added that the joint venture was designed to close the “infrastructure gap” confronting emerging AI firms needing immediate access to large-scale GPU clusters.
Cisco’s announcement emphasized the long-term ambition of the effort, stating that the venture aims to “deploy up to 1 GW of cutting-edge AI infrastructure by 2030”, a scale not previously attempted in the region.
Industry analysts say the move expands Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to become a global AI hub by accelerating domestic compute capacity and attracting next-generation AI startups. Reports from Digitimes and other trade outlets highlight that construction is expected to begin in 2026, with rapid expansion planned in subsequent years to meet regional and global compute demand.
The companies have not disclosed financial terms or ownership distribution of the joint venture. However, statements across public filings and press releases frame the partnership as part of a wider wave of US-Saudi AI cooperation, particularly in high-density compute infrastructure, now seen as core to national competitiveness.
