Saudi Arabia’s data center sector has expanded sixfold since the launch of Vision 2030, with total investments exceeding $4.26 billion.

The number of operational data centers has surpassed 60, developed by more than 20 companies, according to a statement from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Saudi Arabia.

This growth reflects rising demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital services, as the Kingdom advances its ambition to become a regional technology hub. Data center market revenues are projected to reach $2.83 billion by 2030, expanding at an annual rate of 6.45%, according to Statista.

Officials described data centers as critical infrastructure that underpins digital services, including e-government platforms, e-commerce, and cloud computing. They also play a central role in enabling artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and smart city applications, while supporting data analytics and process automation.

Saudi Arabia has also strengthened its global position in artificial intelligence. In February, Abdullah Alghamdi, President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, said the Kingdom had become the first Arab country to join the Global Partnership on AI and now hosts the UNESCO-backed International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics in Riyadh.

The Kingdom ranked 14th in the 2025 Global AI Index and holds a leading position in the Arab region for AI model development. Investment in emerging technologies has accelerated, with government spending rising by more than 56% in 2024 and AI companies attracting $9.1 billion in funding.

In May, Humain was launched under the Public Investment Fund, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The initiative focuses on building a comprehensive artificial intelligence ecosystem spanning data centers, cloud infrastructure, models, and applications, as part of efforts to position Saudi Arabia as a globally competitive AI hub.

The program aims to develop 1.8 gigawatts of data center capacity by 2030 and 100 gigawatts of AI compute capacity by 2026.

Separately, Saudi Aramco announced plans in 2023 to establish its first large-scale data center to support its digital transformation strategy.