“AI is transforming businesses across the globe and in Saudi Arabia, it is playing a key role in unlocking unique opportunities for network providers and as they evolve their infrastructures to create a smarter, more connected future,” says Chris Bayly, Managing Director & Chief Business Officer, Saudi Arabia, Ciena.

Saudi Arabia’s ambitions in the AI space have taken a major leap with the launch of HUMAIN, a national initiative led by the National Technology Development Program. Consolidating several key efforts – including the landmark Google Cloud-PIF partnership –HUMAIN is designed to fast-track AI development and deployment across sectors.

Among the most significant announcements, Amazon Web Services has pledged over $5 billion through HUMAIN to build advanced AI and cloud infrastructure, enabling local innovation and empowering businesses with scalable, in-country solutions. Reinforcing these ambitions, HUMAIN has also signed a crucial agreement with NVIDIA to expand R&D, skills training, and access to high-performance AI platforms,positioning the Kingdom as a serious global contender in the field.

Meanwhile, Oracle has reaffirmed its support for Vision 2030 with a $14 billion investment over the next decade aimed at enhancing Saudi Arabia’s AI and cloud capabilities. The initiative is set to accelerate innovation, bolster national security, and improve the lives of Saudi citizens.

With forward-thinking policies driving change, cities across the Kingdom are evolving into high-tech hubs where AI promises to transform how people live and work. As part of this, the government is targeting 15% autonomy in public vehicles by 2030, supported by mega projects spanning autonomous vehicles, air taxis, and pods. The PIF-Google Cloud collaboration, now part of HUMAIN, is also expected to boost the ICT sector by up to 50 per cent, underlining AI’s central role in the Kingdom’s future economy.

Scaling infrastructure and talent to meet the AI opportunity

Another area where AI is playing a key role is in the data centre sector. The rapid growth of AI workloads is expected to drive major transformation in data centrenetwork infrastructure, with data centre experts anticipating an increase (50 per cent) in data centre interconnect (DCI) bandwidth needs over the next five years, according to a recent survey commissioned by Ciena.  

The exponential rise in data generated by AI workloads,Internet of Things (IoT) and other connected devices is also putting enormous pressure on centralised data centres and the networks transmitting data to and from these data centres. As a result, network infrastructure will need to scale rapidly to support demands.

To deliver the quality of experience that end-users and machines expect, data centres must be physically located closer to them. We have seen global cloud providers moving from a regional hub model to opening cloud locations in various cities, where there is bandwidth demand.

AWS, Microsoft and Google are pushing their cloud footprints beyond Europe and into the Middle East, recently unveiling plans to invest more than $5.3 billion to build data centres and a significant cloud presence in the region. Specifically, AWS is planning to launch an AWS Infrastructure Region in Saudi Arabia in 2026, aimed at supporting technology developers, businesses,and in-country data centre infrastructure to run cloud-based technology solutions.

Saudi Arabia’s success in the AI space will not only depend on technology and infrastructure – it will also hinge on the country’s ability to attract, develop, and nurture top talent. The new AI hub being establishedwith Google Cloud is expected to generate thousands of job opportunities across a multitude of sectors – from data science and machine learning to AI ethics and engineering. There are also plans to strengthen the broader ecosystem of talent and develop the Saudi workforce by offering AI training programs for millions of students and professionals.

Interdependence of AI and Cloud Computing

While AI and cloud computing are often discussed in tandem, it’s important to distinguish their individual roles in Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation. Cloud computing is the backbone, providing the scalable infrastructure needed to store, manage, and access vast amounts of data efficiently. It underpins digital services by ensuring that resources are available on demand, whether for businesses, government entities, or developers.

AI, by contrast, is the intelligence layer built on that foundation. It uses cloud-processed data to extract insights, automate decisions, and deliver smart applications – from predictive maintenance in industry to personalised healthcare and real-time traffic optimisationin smart cities.

These technologies are not interchangeable, but interdependent. AI relies on the cloud’s computational power and data accessibility, while cloud platforms gain greater value through AI-driven innovation. Together, they form the digital bedrock on which Saudi Arabia is building a more diversified, knowledge-based economy under Vision 2030.

Turning AI into ROI

While most agree AI will radically transform the telecommunications sector, discussions on how to monetise the technology are ongoing. As AI becomesmore critical to network evolution and operations, the discussion has expanded beyond operational efficiency to examining how it can help boost revenue growth.

There are several potential avenues to generate revenue from AI, including opening networks to third-party integrations, to monetising security and privacy services. Sectors such as financial services, media and entertainment, and manufacturing are expected to generate the highest volume of AI traffic, making them prime sources of future AI revenue opportunities.

Saudi telecom giant, stc Group, recently signed a strategic collaboration with Cohere, a secure enterprise AI company, to enhance customer engagement and unlock new digital growth opportunities through state-of-the-art AI solutions. This highlights how AI is an essential step toward staying competitive in today’s constantly changing digital landscape. It also reinforces the optimistic long-term outlook for service providersregarding AI’s ability to enhance the network, as well as the need for strategic planning and investments in infrastructure to fully realise the benefits.

Helping Vision 2030’s AI Ambitions

As Saudi Arabia advances its diversification efforts, AIoffers many exciting possibilities to boost connectivity, drive innovation and strengthen global competitiveness.The future lies in building a collaborative ecosystem where intelligent network infrastructure, skilled talent, and a supportive regulatory environment work together.  

Nearly a decade after the launch of Vision 2030, the Kingdom is poised to exceed its original ambitions. AI is at the forefront of this transformation, helping to reshapethe new Saudi Arabia from a city of oil into a centre of infinite digital potential.