How will center3 and HUMAIN Build 1GW of AI Data Centres?

stc group subsidiary center3 has entered a joint venture with HUMAIN to develop and operate advanced AI-focused data centres across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with planned capacity of up to 1GW.

The partnership brings together center3’s data centre operations and regional connectivity with HUMAIN’s full-stack artificial intelligence capabilities. The initial phase of development will deliver up to 250MW of capacity, designed to support high-density AI workloads and large-scale model training.

The companies say the collaboration builds on their existing digital infrastructure relationship and is intended to accelerate AI readiness across the region by providing purpose-built facilities capable of hosting demanding compute environments.

“This joint venture with HUMAIN reinforces our commitment to enabling the region’s digital future,” said Olayan Alwetaid, CEO of stc group.

“By combining HUMAIN’s AI leadership with center3’s world-class data-centre expertise, we are creating the right foundation to strengthen the region’s capacity to host next-generation AI workloads.

Infrastructure designed for AI at scale

The joint venture is focused on delivering next-generation data centre infrastructure engineered for AI workloads that require high power density, low latency and resilient operations. Facilities will be designed to support large language models and other mission-critical AI applications, with scalability at the core of the development roadmap.

HUMAIN’s role centres on aligning the physical infrastructure with the requirements of advanced AI systems and future compute architectures.

“AI at scale requires purpose-built compute, efficiency and resilience,” said Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN. “Through this joint venture, HUMAIN and stc group are engineering infrastructure capable of meeting the most demanding workloads while designed to support future advancements.”

The partners highlight that the design approach reflects the increasing divergence between conventional enterprise data centres and those optimised for AI training and inference, where power availability and thermal performance are critical.

Scaling regional capacity through center3

For center3, the joint venture extends its footprint as a dedicated digital infrastructure provider within Saudi Arabia. The company will leverage its existing data centre portfolio and interconnection platforms to deliver facilities capable of supporting high-density compute at scale.

“Our role in this partnership is to turn vision into capacity,” said Fahad AlHajeri, CEO of center3. 

“Leveraging our expanding data-centre footprint, interconnected platforms and proven operations, we will deliver the density, resilience and availability required for next-generation AI computing. This joint venture marks an important step in scaling the infrastructure foundation to meet surging regional market demand.”

Production-grade availability and operational resilience are central to the plan, with the joint venture expected to support both domestic and international organisations deploying AI workloads in the Kingdom.

Supporting Saudi Arabia’s AI ambitions

The partnership aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader push to establish itself as a regional hub for digital infrastructure and AI. 

By combining hyperscale-ready data centres with AI-focused design principles, the joint venture aims to create a platform for the deployment of advanced models and data-intensive applications within the country.

The companies state that the infrastructure will support the hosting of critical digital assets while fostering a wider AI ecosystem across research, enterprise and public sector use cases. Initial developments are expected to set the template for subsequent phases as capacity expands toward the 1GW target.