Saudi Arabia's new artificial intelligence company, HUMAIN, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced on Tuesday a strategic partnership to launch a first-of-its-kind "AI Zone" in the Kingdom, backed by an investment exceeding $5 billion. The initiative aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global leader in AI innovation and adoption. The AI Zone will integrate AWS's cutting-edge AI and cloud infrastructure, including UltraCluster networks, Amazon Sagemaker, Bedrock, and Amazon Q services. It will also support HUMAIN's mission to build a unified AI ecosystem tailored for government and enterprise sectors in the Gulf region and beyond. The move builds on Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which emphasizes digital transformation and AI-powered economic diversification. AWS is already investing $5.3 billion in an AWS cloud region in the Kingdom, expected to go live in 2026. The newly announced AI Zone represents an additional investment in infrastructure, innovation, and workforce development. Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN, said the partnership with AWS marks "a pivotal moment in Saudi Arabia's journey to become a global leader in AI," adding that the AI Zone will attract talent and global capital to the Kingdom. As part of the deal, HUMAIN will use AWS technologies to develop AI applications and establish a marketplace for AI agents. The partnership also aims to support the growth of Arabic Large Language Models (ALLaM), and spur AI adoption across key sectors such as healthcare, education, government, and energy. To accelerate national AI skills, AWS has committed to training 100,000 Saudis in AI and cloud technologies through the Amazon Academy, the largest program of its kind in the region. A women-focused training initiative will also provide free AWS certification to 10,000 Saudi women. The initiative is expected to drive productivity, digital innovation, and societal impact while contributing to an estimated $130 billion in AI-related economic output for Saudi Arabia by 2030, according to PwC forecasts. — SG
