Saudi oil giant Aramco has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary has acquired a 49% stake in Humain, an artificial intelligence company owned by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, in a deal aimed at accelerating the company’s growth and its plan to deploy 3 gigawatts of AI data centre capacity by 2030.
The transaction will further accelerate the PIF unit's growth and advance its full range of AI capabilities globally, with PIF and Aramco contributing AI assets, capabilities, and talent. Aramco will contribute about SAR9.9 billion ($2.6 billion) in cash in 2026, in addition to AI, computing and digital assets, it stated.
Following the deal, PIF will retain the 51% ownership. The transaction will accelerate Humain’s ambition to build a globally competitive, integrated AI ecosystem spanning the full stack: from data centres and high-performance compute to advanced models, applications, and industry solutions.
Additionally, it will further enable Humain’s plans to develop data center capacity by 2030 and deliver solutions that help the public and private sectors to deploy AI at scale.
The transaction builds on Saudi Arabia’s efforts to further enable the development and deployment of the most advanced data and AI technologies while attracting talent and investment opportunities.
PIF's strategy for AI and the digital economy benefits from Saudi Arabia’s position as a globally competitive market through innovation and capacity building. Partnering with Aramco in Humain aligns with PIF 2026-2030 strategy, which aims to deepen integration across economic ecosystems, expand opportunities with the private sector, and accelerate the growth of national companies into globally competitive leaders.
Yazeed A. Al-Humied, Deputy Governor and Head of Mena Investments at PIF, said: "Bringing PIF and Aramco’s AI portfolio of investments together under Humain creates a powerful synergy that fuels talent growth, technological advancement, and intellectual property creation."
"Fully aligned with PIF’s strategic objectives, this transaction accelerates Humain’s growth into a global leader in the sector, strengthening AI as an enabler of PIF’s six ecosystems and further expanding private sector participation across our portfolio while advancing the development of cutting-edge technologies in Saudi Arabia," he stated.
Aramco is expected to leverage Humain’s AI infrastructure to translate advanced AI capabilities into industrial applications, further enhancing its global ecosystem and operations.
The Saudi giant, together with its affiliates, will benefit as a shareholder and strategic partner from Humain’s advanced AI infrastructure and services.
With opportunities for revenue growth and attractive margins, this partnership is expected to enhance Aramco’s monetisation of existing AI and digital assets, support its broader strategy, and complement its core energy business, it added.
Amin H. Nasser, Aramco President & CEO, said: "The Humain deal is very important to Aramco, building on the company’s long track record of innovation and technology. We are proud of our achieved progress in developing and deploying advanced digital and AI technologies to enhance performance across the oil and gas sectors."
"Since 2023, Aramco has achieved $11.3 billion in Technology Realized Value, with a significant portion coming from AI solutions," stated Nasser.
"This partnership with PIF strengthens Aramco’s position as a global technology leader and AI powerhouse, while laying the foundation for localising the AI industry and enabling faster, more integrated, and scalable deployment of AI systems. AI will therefore play a vital role in the future of business. We are delighted to collaborate with PIF to help shape the future of AI regionally and globally," he added.
