nvidia powers saudi arabia's ai ambitions with major chip shipment

2025-05-14 nvidia

Santa Clara, Wednesday, 14 May 2025.
nvidia is set to ship 18,000 ai chips to saudi arabia. this is a partnership with humain, a saudi sovereign wealth fund-owned ai startup. the chips will fuel a new 500 megawatt data center. this will significantly boost ai development in the region. amd will also supply chips. nvidia’s ceo, jensen huang, highlighted saudi arabia’s vision to build its own ai infrastructure. this move aligns with saudi arabia’s 2030 vision for economic diversification.

nvidia’s strategic partnership with humain

Nvidia’s partnership with Humain, owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, aims to establish Saudi Arabia as a leader in AI, GPU cloud computing, and digital transformation [5]. Humain plans to invest heavily in building AI factories in Saudi Arabia, aiming for up to 500 megawatts of capacity within five years [5]. These factories will be powered by hundreds of thousands of Nvidia GPUs [1][5]. The initial phase includes deploying 18,000 Nvidia GB300 Grace Blackwell AI supercomputers, equipped with Nvidia InfiniBand networking [5].

market capitalization and stock performance

Nvidia’s stock experienced a rise, pushing its market capitalization beyond $3 trillion [7]. This surge followed optimism surrounding sales in Saudi Arabia and anticipation of upcoming earnings reports [7]. The deployment will use Nvidia’s GB300 Blackwell chips, among Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips [2]. AMD will also supply chips to Humain as part of a $10 billion deal to build 500 megawatts of AI capacity. AMD’s stock rose 4% following this announcement [1].

implications for nvidia’s market position

The Saudi Arabia deal strengthens Nvidia’s market position in the AI sector [5]. Jensen Huang emphasized AI’s importance as essential infrastructure, similar to electricity and the internet [2]. He stated that Nvidia and Humain are building AI infrastructure for Saudi Arabia to realize the Kingdom’s vision [2]. This collaboration enables Saudi Arabia and various global industries to accelerate innovation and digital transformation using large AI models [5]. Humain also intends to use Nvidia Omniverse to create digital twins, enhancing efficiency across industries [5].

regulatory landscape and trump administration

Nvidia had been required to seek export licenses for its AI chips since 2023 due to national security concerns [1]. However, a Trump administration initiative has lifted restrictions on delivering advanced technology to the region [3]. This shift in policy facilitates Nvidia’s ability to supply semiconductors to Humain for the data center project [3]. Trump praised Huang for his presence at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, contrasting him with Apple CEO Tim Cook [1].

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artificial intelligence chip sales