Tareq Amin: Building Saudi Arabia's AI Infrastructure
Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN, has become a central figure in AI strategy and infrastructure. Ranked No. 10 on the Top 100 AI Leaders 2026, he is linking sovereign compute, global partnerships, and practical use cases into one focused plan for Saudi Arabia.
His approach is simple: own the infrastructure, partner for scale, and deliver outcomes that industry leaders can measure.
From telecom veteran to national AI builder
Before HUMAIN, Tareq led large-scale technology and telecom programs that demanded real execution. At HUMAIN, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), he has turned that experience into an operating model for AI at national scale.
The strategy supports the Kingdom's Vision 2030 goals for economic diversification and digital capability. For context on the national plan, see Saudi Vision 2030.
What HUMAIN is building
HUMAIN and AWS are launching Saudi Arabia's first AI Zone in Riyadh-an AI-focused data center footprint built to host hundreds of thousands of AI chips and give enterprises secure access to foundation models. This is infrastructure built for scale, not slides.
With NVIDIA, HUMAIN is deploying GB300 AI platforms and Nemotron technologies to create sovereign AI infrastructure and digital twin ecosystems. This supports "physical AI" where models interact with robotics and simulation across manufacturing, logistics, and energy. Learn more about Nemotron directly from NVIDIA here.
HUMAIN's ALLAM large language model focuses on Arabic-first performance-critical for adoption across government and enterprise in the region.
Scaling compute and partnerships
To meet demand, HUMAIN has a US$1.2bn framework with Infra to expand AI data center capacity. The plan is clear: grow compute, secure supply, and connect with a network of international partners while keeping core capability inside the Kingdom.
This mix-global reach with local control-reduces risk across supply chains, data governance, and cost structures.
What executives can learn
- Own the core: Treat compute, data, and model access as strategic assets. Lease where useful, but build sovereign control for key workloads.
- Partner for speed: Work with hyperscalers and chip vendors to shorten time-to-value while you mature internal capability.
- Go industry-first: Use digital twins and "physical AI" to target high-ROI operations in manufacturing, logistics, and energy.
- Local language wins: Models like ALLAM show how language and culture drive adoption and accuracy in real workflows.
- Plan for TCO: Model full-lifecycle economics-chips, facilities, energy, talent, and model refresh cycles.
- Build talent pipes: Pair infrastructure investment with targeted upskilling for data, ML, and operations teams.
If you're structuring a skills plan by function, see our AI upskilling paths by job.
The bigger picture
HUMAIN's model shows how a country can be both a major consumer of AI and a source of new capability. With sovereign infrastructure, high-leverage partnerships, and clear industry use cases, Saudi Arabia is setting a high bar for scale and execution.
The Top 100 AI Leaders 2026 highlights the executives driving real outcomes-from enterprise adoption to responsible AI. Tareq Amin's placement reflects sustained delivery across infrastructure, partnerships, and deployment at scale.
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